


Go On, I Dare You

by PwoperNinjaElf



Category: BBC Radio 1 RPF, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Enemies to Lovers, Getting Together, Jealousy, Laughter, M/M, Minor Injuries, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Skinny Dipping, Smoking, Smut, all the old school band tees, boys being stupid, shaggy haired Louis, though theyre idiots and dont realise thats what it is, which Nick totally did first, why are are all the counsellors foreigners
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2019-02-02 14:14:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12728160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PwoperNinjaElf/pseuds/PwoperNinjaElf
Summary: Nick and Louis are camp counsellors that have spent their past few summers working at an American summer camp, eager for the paid trip abroad, but far less keen on one another. On the final day of camp last summer though, they ended up drunkenly hooking up, but never spoke about it again. Nick's still not entirely sure what went down and why Louis bailed on him, but it's okay. He's just going to ignore it. Ignore Louis, which shouldn't be too hard considering that's what he's been doing for the past few years already anyway. This summer is going to be just like all the others, honestly, nothing's changed...An American summer camp AU, featuring two stupid boys who keep getting their wires crossed, a host of other familiar faces, all the old school band t-shirts and a camp that should probably keep a better check on their counsellors.





	Go On, I Dare You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lumiereoverme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lumiereoverme/gifts).



> This was my first try at writing a Tomlinshaw fic, but I've always enjoyed reading it and honestly had a blast writing all this silliness! The title comes from The XX's I Dare You.
> 
> Lumiereoverme, I hope you like what I did with the prompt I chose (they were all so tempting, but I just immediately knew I had to write this one!), even though I couldn't resist adding an enemies to lovers twist and deviating ever so slightly <3
> 
> Big thanks to my dear friends E and V for listening patiently to all my ideas and to the best beta I could have asked for! 
> 
> I should also then just point out that this is naturally just a work of fiction and that no offense was intended, however, the story and characters are mine. It's all just meant to be fun and I hope you enjoy!

That time of year had finally rolled around again and Nick found himself out of Manchester, away from home and smack bang somewhere in California that was decidedly not anywhere near LA, but rather more north and out in the wilderness at some children’s summer camp.

Camp Rewood was just like any other stereotypical American summer camp, the place not having disappointed the first year Nick had shown up, the prospect of a thirty-day holiday travelling the States seeming worth eight weeks herding a bunch of kids around.

Nick had thought he would hate it, being surround by other people’s bratty kids, but had instead been thoroughly surprised by just how amazing he’d found the entire experience. So much so that this year would mark his fourth returning to camp. It got him out of Britain’s unpredictable summer to one that was guaranteed to be a proper scorcher, with his flights and meals for the first eight weeks all covered by the company that promoted jobs at these camps to foreign students. It really was a great deal, even now that he was finishing up at uni and had himself a job at his local radio station – he loved it, but the pay wasn’t exactly amazing and, besides, this was the only true way to properly escape all the stresses from home. He may have also recently gotten over a pretty nasty breakup…

Regardless, it felt amazing to be back. This year, as one of the senior members and essentially an old vet at the game, he had extra privileges that included more authority and a more private cabin sleeping situation – he’d only be sharing with two other counsellors, Clara and Rita, whom he considered two of his best friends, the three of them having all met and started the same year and all heralding from the UK. Not that that was particularly uncommon at this camp.

“You excited for another year then, Grim?” Nick looked up from where he’d found himself zoning out, Clara and Rita both looking at him questioningly.

A quick glance around the Dining Hall showed it to be slowly emptying of the other counsellors who were chatting in groups amongst themselves. They’d all been called in for one last briefing from James, the camp director, orientation coming to an end and the campers due to arrive the following day. Clearly Nick had spaced out at some point and missed the last of it. Oh well, it was hardly like he’d never gotten the pep talk before.

“Yeah, ’course, feels good to be back,” he nodded, offering them a smile, as he ran his hand through his lazy quiff. He was still impressed by how quickly it had all grown back after he’d foolishly gone and shaved his hair off after the afore mentioned breakup (he’d wanted a change). Naturally he’d regretted it instantly and taken to wearing hats until it had all mercifully grown back. It was good timing too, he couldn’t help but think, glancing over at the group of four boys idly chatting by the doorway nearby.

“Oi, Nick? Earth to Grimmy?” he startled, Rita waving her hand in his face, trying to get his attention. “Oi, babe, you with us? You zoned out again.”

“Sorry,” Nick cringed guiltily, tearing his eyes away from the boys (boy) to look back at the girls.

“Yikes, Grim. Looks like holiday’s come at the right time for you then, hasn’t it?” Clara laughed, though he didn’t miss the way her eyes had gone to look quizzically over to the boys too, to no doubt figure out what Nick had been staring at. He hoped he wasn’t so obvious that she’d clocked him, but judging from her oblivious smile, she was still completely clueless to his little… er, situation. Though, quite frankly, Nick was also pretty clueless as to his situation. _Their_ situation, what with how they’d parted ways last year and all.

“Well, it’s not holiday just yet now, we have the next eight weeks to get through first,” Nick reminded them, pushing away from the table as he got up.

“Ah, but time flies by so quickly here, before you know it, we’ll all be off back to grey and drizzly ol’ England. I don’t know about you two, but I’m set on making the most of the sunshine while I can,” Rita said, flashing the pair the bikini top she was wearing under her tight t-shirt.

“Exhibitionist,” Clara teased with an affectionate eyeroll, also wearing her swimsuit under her clothes, as they then made their way outside, Nick seeing that the group of boys had already left as well. He didn’t have to wonder where they’d gone off to for too long though, as he soon heard his name being called out.

“Hey, Grimmy! You guys fancy joining us for a swim?” It was Harry, one of the younger counsellors whom Nick had easily befriended the previous year, which had been the curly-haired boy’s first. He was standing a little bit away from the other three boys he’d been chatting with inside. Nick self-consciously ran his fingers through his quiff, feeling their eyes on him too.

“Unless, of course, you’re too important to hang out with us lowly ranked counsellors.” That was Louis, of course it was. Nick knew without doubt, even though he hadn’t seen who’d spoken – he’d been too busy making sure his eyes didn’t leave Harry in case he made awkward eye contact with the very owner of that unmistakable voice.

“Louis,” Harry tutted, turning around to glare at his friend.

 _Friend_ , Nick couldn’t deny that that still kind of hurt. That while Harry and Louis had quickly and seamlessly formed a close bond of friendship, Nick and Louis couldn’t seem to have so much as a conversation without getting at loggerheads with one another, despite this now being their _third_ shared summer.

Even though he knew it was the last thing Harry wanted, Harry, much like Clara and Rita, being one of his best mates too, Nick couldn’t help but shoot right back. “I see we’re still pissy about not getting the promotion then, Tomlinson.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Louis was quick to spit right back, to which Nick simply just shrugged, entirely unbothered.

“You boys are so ridiculous, c’mon then, let’s go have us a swim then,” Rita said, waving off the whole thing and already making her way towards the lake.

“You heard the woman!” Niall, one of the boys standing beside Louis grinned, quick to break into a jog to catch up with her.

Idly, Nick couldn’t help but wonder if this would be the summer the Irishman finally managed to convince her to give him a chance. He certainly seemed to have done some growing up the past year, as well as stopped peroxiding his hair, his natural brunet hair definitely a strong look on him. It had even momentarily confused Nick as to who he was when they’d first all arrived. Of course, when he’d spoken, Nick had instantly known, his wide smile also rather unmistakable.

“C’mon then, play nice you two. We’ve all got the whole summer still stuck together,” Harry said throwing an arm around Louis’ neck and dragging him over to Nick, who he threw his other arm around, effectively linking the three of them.

“ _Harry,_ ” Louis whined, trying to free himself, but the other boy kept a firm hold on the both of them.

“No, look, I’m being serious here. I love the pair of you and consider you both very good friends so, I’m not asking you two to necessarily be best friends or anything, I just ask that you at least _try_ to be civil in the very least, yeah?”

Louis rolled his eyes and pointedly did not look at Nick. Fine, well if Louis was going to behave like a twat, who said Nick had to be any better?

As if reading their minds, Harry squeezed them both tighter, pulling them in closer. “I mean it, be nice.” With that he finally let go of them, only to kick off his trainers and yank off his t-shirt so that he could run the last little bit to the lake, which he jumped right into from the timber decking of the jetty.

When Nick turned to then look back at Louis, he couldn’t say he was exactly surprised to see the other boy ignore him flat and stalk off towards the lake without so much as a backwards glance. Christ, he was infuriating.

It was foolish, but Nick had somehow still found himself expecting Louis to be different this summer. Things hadn’t changed though, even after what had happened at the end of camp the previous year, Louis was still treating him exactly the same. Louis had just left him then too, without so much as an explanation, so Nick wasn’t sure why he was even so surprised by Louis clearly choosing to continue just going on like nothing happened.

With a sigh, he went to catch up with the others, just as Clara leapt in with a loud cry, followed by a fairly impressive splash and cheering applause from the others who were all already treading water. Louis and him were the only ones still not in, while Zayn had (rather predictably) managed to sneak off somewhere along the way to the lake. He’d never been much one for swimming.

When Nick reached him, Louis had already freed himself of his battered converse and socks and was in the process of shrugging out of his t-shirt. Nick was only human, he couldn’t help his eyes wandering along the freshly exposed skin, as he tried to toe off his own trainers. Louis’ skin was a rather muted caramel that Nick knew from experience would quickly darken into a richer, more sun-kissed tan, unlike his own rather frustrating skin, which didn’t really seem to get the whole concept of tanning.

While of a smaller build, it was hard to deny the subtle power of Louis’ physique, his body toned and lean, his legs muscular, while also giving way to soft curves, like that of the small gathering of pudge at his tummy (despite the faint definition of abs), not to mention the sinful dip of his lower back which curved into one of the best arses Nick had ever laid eyes on. All in all, yes, Nick found Louis really fit – despite his twatish attitude towards him – for once though, it wasn’t all this that Nick’s eyes caught on, but rather the curling black script inked into the skin below Louis’ collarbones.

_It is what it is._

“Can I help you?” Louis’ words cut through the air and Nick’s thoughts, stopping him midway through shrugging his own top off as he looked up at Louis’ face, the younger brunet swiftly folding his arms and looking anything but impressed with Nick.

“You got a tattoo,” was the truly brilliant statement that Nick found falling from his lips.

Louis frowned, following Nick’s eyes and glancing down at his now more pronounced new ink, thanks to his crossed arms. “And? It’s hardly me first tattoo, what’s the surprise?” he asked, looking back at Nick challengingly, as if daring him to find something wrong with the black lettering.

“Dunno, s’just quite big, innit?” Louis only frowned even deeper. Fuck. Nick hadn’t meant to upset him, it was just unexpected, the few other tattoos he knew Louis to have were all rather small, this new piece had just come as quite a surprise.

“Yeah, so? You got a problem with it?”

“What? No, no that’s not wha–” Nick stumbled over his words, trying to fix the situation, the last thing he wanted to do was have an outright fight now with Louis, especially right after Harry had asked for them to be nice to each other. Louis just cut him right off though.

“Whatever, I could actually care less what your opinion is. Your tattoos are all shite anyway.” And, before Nick could even respond to that, Louis swiftly spun around to run and leap into the water, leaving Nick standing on the jetty with one arm still caught up in his t-shirt, looking like a moron.

Huffing, he freed himself of his top and dropped it down beside his shoes. Louis had joined the others, a little way off in the water where they were all splashing around and dunking one another playfully. It looked like Harry hadn’t caught onto their little spat, so that was something at least. As Nick tried to centre himself and calm down a little, waiting for the urge to go over and shove Louis’ head under the water (rather less playfully) to pass, his eyes wandered over to where Louis’ stupid Joy Division t-shirt (he doubted Louis probably even knew who they were) was in a messy heap beside his trainers. Fuck, he was tempted to kick it into the lake.

Instead, he settled for jogging backwards a bit and running up and doing a massive cannon ball close enough that he would be sure to soak it with the resulting splash. If some of the other’s clothing got wet too? Well that was just collateral.

When he emerged from the water, gulping a breath of fresh air and flipping his wet fringe out of his face, it was to Harry and Niall’s cheers and a distinctly pissed off looking Louis. He probably already knew what Nick had just done. Good. Grinning, Nick just paddled over to them all.

“The water’s great! I feel like this is going to be a summer for the books!”

“Hey, mind if we join?” Nick turned around to see a group of most of the other counsellors standing by the jetty, a couple familiar faces from summers past amongst them, including Jade, who’d spoken.

“The more the merrier!” Harry called happily.

“C’mon in, water’s fab!” Rita agreed happily, hopping onto Niall’s back, his hands automatically going to her thighs to help balance her, his pale cheeks flushing brightly, as he then shifted them quickly to her calves. “We should all play chicken too!”

 

~ * ~

 

“God, he’s such a twat.”

“ _Louis_ ,” Zayn whined, looking long-sufferingly at his friend. “You’re not going to spend the whole summer bitching about Nick Grimshaw again, are you?”

Louis looked away from where he’d been disapprovingly glaring over at the individual in question, who had one of the new counsellors (a stereotypical blond surfer type) on his shoulders, to look back at Zayn, frowning. “I did not spend all last summer bitching about Nick Grimshaw! The fact remains though, that he’s a twat.”

Zayn just raised a challenging eyebrow at the other boy.

“Look, Zee, I don’t know if you’re really in any place to judge, yeah? When the fuck are you actually gonna get into the lake this year, huh?” Louis challenged right back, waving his hand around to emphasise the fact that they were both sitting on the edge of the jetty, their legs dangling in the water, while the others were playing further in the lake, near the line of buoys. While Louis was wet and drying off in his swim trunks, Zayn was perfectly dry and still in his clothes, shorts cuffed.

They’d had this argument the previous year too, when Louis had finally cottoned on to the fact that Zayn never seemed to actually get in and swim ever. He’d brought it up again and again, until Zayn had eventually admitted to the fact that he had a rather limited experience swimming and a messy doggie paddle was the limit of his abilities. He was scared of the open water and making an idiot of himself, he’d admitted, though Louis wasn’t able to suss which scared him more. Despite all his offers of help and assurances he’d swim right next to him, Zayn had shot him down every time. He was determined to get Zayn to venture into the water at least once this year.

“This has got nothing to do with me swimming in the lake, this is about your odd obsession with that lanky, tall-haired git over there,” Zayn argued, always quick to try shift the subject when he didn’t like it. Much like Louis himself had a habit of doing. It was one of many things they shared in common, so it was probably small wonder that they’d hit it off so well two years back, on both their first summers at Camp Redwood.

“I’m not obsessed with him! Why on Earth would I be? Also, you can’t be scared of swimming all your life, mate. You should be embracing every aspect of this trip – especially the lake, it’s hands down the best part of camp.”

If Zayn gave him a snarky response, Louis couldn’t have said, as he was suddenly distracted by the loud bark of laughter that rung out, its pitch unmistakable and causing Louis’ eyes to immediately snap back and see what had Nick laughing like that.

It was the surfer boy, of course it was. The pair of them shaking out their hair, clearly having only recently resurfaced from the water thanks to having lost their latest round of chicken, judging by the way Jesy and one of the new counsellors (Liam?) whose shoulders she was sitting on were cheering and crowing, the others around them clapping and laughing too. Louis’ eyes narrowed in on the way the blond bloke reached out to push back Nick’s sopping fringe for him, as he said something that had Nick letting out another ring of laughter, while he wrapped his arm around the guy’s neck and nodded.

God, Nick was such an insufferable twat.

 

~ * ~

 

“Here you go, this is the list for your cabin,” Nick said moving to hand the clipboard over to Harry, only for Louis to swiftly intercept it and snatch it right out of Nick’s hand.

Nick bit back a response, knowing it wasn’t worth it, especially in front of Harry. Harry just shrugged though, an affectionate smile on as his face as he gave Nick a look that said ‘well that’s Louis for you, what ya gonna do?’. Nick gave him a forced smile in response and glanced over to see Louis’ eyes doing a quick scan of the names of the campers that would be under his and Harry’s care. God help them.

As Nick then left them to it, needing to give out three more bunk lists still, he could hear Louis beginning to yell out some of the names from their list, as all the arriving campers disembarked from the buses and parents’ cars, children laughing and chattering excitedly all around them. He didn’t know how Harry put up with him, honestly. The poor bloke was going to be sharing his cabin with nine children, as opposed to the eight all the other pairs of counsellors had.

. . .

“Hey, Nick!”

Nick looked up from the small pile of last minute dietary requests that a few of the campers had arrived with, mainly for those who were vegetarian or had overly concerned parents that were worried the camp might have lost their initial allergy lists, to find Storm making his way over. He was one of the new counsellors this year, all the way from some place called Jeffreys Bay in South Africa (Nick had spent quite a bit of time over orientation getting to know him). He seemed like a very laidback, all round nice sort of guy.

“Storm, what can I do for you?” Nick asked, offering the blond a warm smile.

“I was just wondering if you knew where, uh, Louis was? He’s the dude with the shaggy brown hair, right? Always wears band t-shirts? I just saw that we’re both gonna be leading most of the hikes together, so I thought we should probably touch base or something. I haven’t really spoken to him at all…”

 _Lucky you_ , Nick couldn’t help thinking, though he certainly didn’t envy him being on hiking duty with Louis – he hadn’t been a part of the hikes since his first year at camp. He hated hiking; the way it made him all sweaty and go bright pink, not to mention how unfit it always made him feel. Well, he _was_ unfit, but he didn’t care for the reminder. Louis on the other hand seemed to love it, he was always one of the counsellors involved with running the activity. It was yet another thing they shared a different view on.

“Yeah, that’d be Louis. Uh, knowing him, he’s probably kicking a football around with some of the kids or going between the cabins, checking on how all the campers are settling in.”

“Thanks, man,” Storm flashed Nick his perfect, white teeth in a grateful smile and gave his shoulder a squeeze, before jogging back off, in the direction of the cabins, Nick watching him go. He had no idea where he got all the energy from. Nick couldn’t help but relate Storm to a golden retriever in human form.

Nick had only then just gone back to sorting through the admin work he was doing, when he felt the picnic table he was sitting at shift with the weight of someone new, his eyes picking up movement in his peripheral. He didn’t even need to look up to know who it was, his senses already on high alert.

“Speak of the devil…” he muttered to himself, before reluctantly looking up to find Louis looking back at him, his expression unreadable. He sighed. “What? Can I help you?”

“Dunno, what were you two just chatting about?” Louis asked, nudging his head in the direction a rather clueless Storm had just disappeared off in.

“Funny you should ask, Storm was actually just asking where he could find you. Apparently he’s been put on hiking duty with you,” Nick replied lazily, going back to reading through the pages in front of him, trying to remember the kids with the more serious allergies.

Well, at least he pretended to be doing so, least he stare too obviously at Louis, who’d apparently decided that tables made better chairs, his feet on the bench beside Nick. Nick had a sneaky suspicion it was because Louis wanted to be higher than him; wanted to tower over Nick. He knew the fact that he was a good bit taller than Louis pissed him off to no end. Nick really had to struggle holding back a smile at the thought.

“‘Storm’? What the hell kind of hippy-dippy name is that? Who calls their kid Storm?”

Nick had to look back up at Louis at that, to see if his face matched the horrified tone of his voice. It did. He raised an eyebrow. “His parents _are_ apparently quite new age-y – I asked. But surely you already knew his name? Hell, we’ve all been here for the past three days already for orientation.”

“Never really spoke to him, too busy catching up with me mates.” Louis just shrugged, before those nimble looking fingers of his moved to fidget with his fringe, the boy forever fixing his bloody hair. It was a habit of his Nick had immediately picked up on after first meeting him. Louis’ hair had been shorter then though. Neater. This year he had a real mop on him, Nick had never seen Louis’ hair this long before, messy strands of toffee-brown hair feathering all around his head, wisps brushing against his collar and curling out from behind his ears. “Doesn’t really look like me cup of tea anyway.”

Nick watched as Louis shifted his weight, leaning back, his hands behind him, stretching out in the sun. He was wearing his camp tee, like all the counsellors were today, what with it being the first official day of camp. The bastard pulled off the look effortlessly well though, the light grey material stretched tight across his chest in his current position, showing off the redwood trees, star and grizzly bear that made up the camp logo. The picture he now made looked like one of the promo shots used by the companies who ran these camps to attract new perspective counsellors. Nick simply rolled his eyes and made a show of looking back down at his papers.

“He’s a nice guy. You shouldn’t write people off so quickly.”

“Hmm,” Louis just hummed, lazily looking over at the papers Nick was going through, before Nick felt his gaze return to him. “You two do seem to be getting awfully close…”

Nick couldn’t help frowning at that, as he looked back up at him. “What do you mean? I’m just being nice, welcoming him into the fold so to speak; just like I’ve been doing with all the other new counsellors.”

“Ah-huh. Sure.”

Nick’s frown deepened, as he watched Louis shut his eyes and tilt his face more towards the sky, soaking the sun up like a damned cat.

“I’m sorry, are you trying to imply something here?” Nick asked, hackles rising like they always seemed to around Louis.

“Hmm, no, nothing. Just making an observation is all.” With that, Louis then opened his eyes and moved to sit up again, stretching lazily, before clambering down off the table. “Well, I best go and make my introductions with _Storm_ then, ta.”

“Unbelievable,” was all Nick could say to that, as he watched Louis walk away in the direction of the cabins, only to then be stopped by a small group of campers. Nick recognised them from years previous, the girls no doubt wanting to catch up with Louis, whose face split into a blinding smile as he happily chatted away with them. He’d never, not once, smiled like that at Nick.

Nick promptly returned to his paperwork. Storm and Louis were big boys, they’d eventually meet up and sort whatever out. Though Nick couldn’t lie about being awfully curious as to what on Earth Louis’ problem seemed to be with the South African. Storm was, quite frankly, one of the most genuinely nice and likable people Nick had ever met. Everyone else seemed to like him plenty…

 

~ * ~

 

“He ends nearly every sentence with ‘man’ and called me ‘dude’. Who even uses that word anymore? He’s such a surfer stereotype, it’s a joke. And now I’m stuck with him on _all_ the hikes. Not to mention inevitably sharing a tent on the longer ones to come. I can only hope the hikes won’t be as popular with the kids this year. Fuck, Haz, you need to promo the shit outta your cooking classes,” Louis groaned, burying his face in his hands.

The pair were the first seated at their counsellor table in the mess hall, having rounded up their campers and taken them to dinner the fastest, the others all still queuing for their food, while their cabin sat nearby, happily stuffing their faces and chatting amongst themselves. They’d really gotten a good bunch this summer. Niall and Greg had the troublemakers and so consequently had only just arrived for supper.

“I don’t know what you’re going on about. Storm is such a nice bloke. It’ll be fine,” Harry assured Louis, pulling the hair tie off of his wrist so that he could gather up his overgrown fringe and tie it back, off of his face in a silly half bun. Louis had left his headband in the cabin and would rather end up eating his hair then put it in a similar style, though he didn’t think this was likely, as his own hair wasn’t quite as crazy as Harry’s curls.

“Ugh, that’s because you haven’t had to spend several hours with him up a mountain side with a group of kids,” Louis grumbled, stabbing a potato wedge with his fork. It was burger night. Burger night was one of the best, second only to pizza night as far as Louis was concerned.

“But you always love hiking with the kids, wh–” Harry began, only to cut himself off. “Wait. The kids, they really like him, don’t they?” Harry asked then, an all too knowing smirk curling up at the corner of his mouth. Louis frowned at him.

“Yes. They do. No accounting for taste with that lot, clearly. Spent the entire hike up having to listen to endless questions and answers about South Africa and Storm’s family – No, they don’t have pet elephants and lions do not roam the streets. His entire family surf and he’s got an older sister and baby brother and two pet Labradors called Hurley and Roxy, if you were wondering.”

Harry just laughed, apparently delighting in his friend’s suffering. Louis was only all too tempted to remind him of Alison, one of the older campers from the previous year who had relentlessly pursued him for the entirety of the summer despite Harry’s constant rejections. Louis had been only too supportive a friend to him then. She was too old this year to return as a camper, though Louis had been half certain she would have signed up to being a counsellor, convinced that that had been the only reason for Harry’s unrequited affections. Sadly, almost, she hadn’t.

Before he could, however, they were joined by Zayn and his bunkmate Liam, one of this year’s new counsellors. “Louis bitching about Nick again?” Zayn asked, sounding bored, as he sat down next to Liam, instead of by Louis’ other side like he’d always done previous summers. Louis tried to not take it too personally, despite this now becoming a pattern.

Zayn and Liam seemed to really get on and he knew that in the past Zayn occasionally felt a bit like a third wheel to Harry and him. He’d never exactly voiced it, but Louis had known. Two’s company, three’s a crowd and all that… He loved them both, but perhaps Liam was what their group needed, Niall was everybody’s friend and so not always around – he also seemed to really be giving his bid for Rita’s affections a proper go this year. Besides, Liam had so far proven to be a perfectly great guy thus far. The more the merrier.

“No, surprisingly. It’s Storm this time,” Harry replied, swallowing his mouthful of burger.

“Storm? What’s wrong with Storm?” Liam asked, thick eyebrows pulling together in confusion. “He’s such a nice guy. Everyone likes him.”

“Exactly, all a bit suspicious, don’t you think?” Louis asked around a potato wedge, mouth full. “Besides, I don’t get it. He’s so annoying – no one can genuinely be that happy and spunky all the time. I’m not buying it.”

“Louis,” Zayn sighed, shaking his head.

“It’s true! Zee, listen, he did not stop smiling the entire hike. Not. Once. Barely broke a sweat either, danced up the mountain side like a bloody goat, he did. Trust me, I know you. If you’d have come with you’d totally agree with me, if not have just shoved him into the nearest tree.”

Zayn raised an eyebrow at this, Harry and Liam’s mouths luckily now too full of hamburger to comment. “Are you telling me that Nick’s been replaced as your object of irritation? That, for whatever inexplicable reason, Storm’s mere presence pisses you off more than Nick’s?”

“Well, no. Let’s not get too carried away now. The bloke may be infuriatingly friendly, but he’s not a twat.”

“What? You don’t like Nick either? He’s so nice though and really funny,” Liam objected, having quickly swallowed his mouthful.

Louis abandoned his fork and just picked up another potato wedge with his fingers (he always ate the chips first, burgers were still good cold, but chips went miserable), as he snorted and bit into the wedge. “Well, he certainly thinks he’s funny, but no. C’mon, Lima Bean, you’ve got a lot to learn. This is your first summer here, so it’s understandable, but trust me when I say I know what I’m talking about.”

Both Harry and Zayn, as if they’d rehearsed it, rolled their eyes in time.

“‘Lima Bean’?” Liam asked, now positively confused.

“Don’t mind him. Louis sometimes gets in these moods,” Zayn reassured Liam, Harry just grunting in agreement as he took another big bite of his burger.

 

~ * ~

 

Nick was having trouble sleeping, though it wasn’t anything new for him when he came to camp. Jetlag always seemed to hit him pretty hard and it usually took him at least two or so weeks to adjust to the time zone difference. Something which the two girls didn’t really seem to share in, both Rita and Clara fast asleep in their own bunks in the small cabin they all shared.

Sighing, Nick rolled over (for the umpteenth time, it felt like he’d been tossing and turning all night), only for his eyes to then catch sight of a light outside the window next to his bed. It wasn’t just any kind of light either, it was definitely that of a flashlight, bobbing about in the dark.

“Fuck’s sake,” he grumbled softly to himself, not wanting to wake the girls, despite how resentful he felt about the fact that they’d had no issue falling fast asleep and staying so.

It was no doubt some campers playing silly buggers, it wasn’t uncommon for them to run amuck after lights out and when they’d thought everyone else had gone to sleep. It was no doubt a dare, or something equally as stupid.

So, sighing, Nick rolled out of bed and grabbed the t-shirt he’d worn that day from off the small chair beside his bed, where he’d dumped it earlier, and slipped on his flipflops by the door, a flashlight in his own hand. He may as well go tell off the kids and put them back in bed, it was hardly like he was sleeping himself.

He headed in the direction he’d seen the torchlight disappearing off to, catching sight of it once more, only for it to slip behind the trees of the woods nearby, so he hastily sped up, officially in pursuit.

His target seemed to be moving at a rather steady and lazy stroll, likely thinking no one had spotted them and so were in no hurry themselves, unlike Nick, who only sped up more, getting a good deal of cardio he hadn’t planned on, especially at this late hour. With all this excitement, he probably would now never be able to get back to sleep, the thought pissing him off even more than the perpetrators’ sheer audacity of wondering around after hours in the first place.

God help them when he caught up. Nick liked to think he was rather fair, but running around in the forest at night in his boxers and flipflops was a step too far. Especially then, when suddenly he lost sight of his target, the torchlight bobbing between the large tree trunks one moment, only to completely disappear the next – and just as Nick was getting close too!

Whoever they were had most likely heard Nick and was on to him. He was hardly being quiet after all, too busy giving chase and not concentrating on his footwork, stumbling and tripping up on branches and rocks in his bloody flipflops. He shuddered to think of the filthy state of his feet after this little jaunt. Great, another thing he’d have to do before getting back into bed and praying for sleep to come.

Nick shined his torch around himself, suspecting the campers to be nearby, his eyes and ears on high alert, taking in every sound around him, from the rustle of leaves to the faint sound of frogs croaking down by the nearby lake.

Now that he thought about it, it was actually pretty creepy. Here he was, all alone, in the pitch dark of night at an American summer camp, having followed the faceless trail of torchlight. It was beginning to seem too much like one of those stupid cult classic horror films he’d seen. Nick bit his bottom lip anxiously and swallowed, fingers tightening their hold on his flashlight.

Okay, no. What was he doing? This was getting ridiculous. Nick was just being silly now, the lack of sleep since getting here and the busy days running around after campers adding up. He rolled his eyes at himself. He’d always had too active an imagination. He needed to round up the rogue campers and put them all back to bed, including himself. And he was about to do just that, ready to start calling out warnings, when–

“BOO!”

None other than Louis fucking Tomlinson jumped out from behind a tree, right next to Nick and just about scared him shitless.

Nick wasn’t proud of the embarrassingly shrill shriek which left him in response, the sound echoing out in the forest surrounding them.

“WHAT THE FUCK?! You absolute arsehole, what the _fuck_ is wrong with you?!” Nick demanded, not even thinking twice about it as he smacked any part of Louis he could reach, Louis’ near hysterical laughter only spurring him on.

“Okay, okay, stop. Stop. I’m sorry,” Louis gasped between laughs, weakly batting away Nick’s onslaught, his body bent over with laughter and in an attempt to shield himself.

“You are so not sorry,” Nick objected, but stopped his attack nonetheless. Fuck, and he’d thought he was annoyed earlier when he’d assumed it had just been a camper or two sneaking about!

“You’re right, I’m not. Should’ve seen the look on your face, Grimshaw. _Priceless_ ,” Louis grinned, reaching into his pocket to pull out his own torch, which he wasted no time in switching back on, as well as a carton of cigarettes and a cheap lighter.

“I hate you.”

“Ah-huh. Nice boxers,” Louis said, nodding at the boxer briefs in question, as he attempted juggling holding his torch under an arm and freeing a cigarette from the carton. They were a joke set his mate Aimee had gotten him last Christmas, the white and red striped pants decorated with little pictures of bells and candy canes. He had forgotten that they happened to be the boxers he was wearing. Great. Typical in fact. Louis was of course wearing a more dignified pair of trackie bottom cut-offs and a vest. Well, if you didn’t mind looking like a chav that is.

“You’re not supposed to smoke – third year as a counsellor here and one would think you’d know that by now. You could get into a lot of shit,” Nick pointed out, completely ignoring the whole boxer situation, as he watched Louis finally manage to free a cig and stuff the carton back into his pocket. It was one of the many rules they had to follow; they had responsibilities. They had to set a good example.

“I know that. Why you think I’m doing it out in the woods. In the middle of the bloody night?” Louis said, now balancing the cigarette in between his lips as he attempted to light it awkwardly, torch still wedged under his armpit.

Nick just shrugged. “Thought Harry’d said you quit anyway.”

“Oh?” Louis asked, finally managing to light his cigarette and taking a deep drag. “You talk to Harry about me then? Ask after me?” When Nick just rolled his eyes, Louis chuckled. “I tried to quit, without much success, not that Harry knows that, and I’d appreciate it if it stayed that way.” Nick just raised his hands, to show he didn’t intend to get involved with their issues, only to be reminded of his own flashlight again then, when is shined a bit in Louis’ eyes, causing him to squint as he blew out a thick plume of smoke. “Watch it will you.”

Nick rolled his eyes again, but lowered his flashlight back down. He didn’t know why he was still standing here, now that he knew it was only Louis who’d snuck out for a cheeky smoke. He should just leave and try go back to sleep, before Louis succeeded in pissing him off anymore. Instead, he watched Louis take another drag, the action causing the shadows already playing along his features to only emphasise the hollows that formed beneath those sharp cheekbones. The bastard had beautiful bone structure, there was no denying it. And Nick really wished he could.

“It helps calm me down. Helps with the jetlag,” Louis then suddenly spoke up again, sounding a bit defensive, after a soft little lull in their conversation. Nick had been busy studying Louis, watching how delicately he held that bloody cigarette and how devastatingly handsome he looked while smoking; like a throwback to the Hollywood actors of old. It was strange, Nick had never really found the act of someone smoking to be a turn on before. He could have lived without the added knowledge, especially where Louis was concerned.

Nick hummed. “Well there’s something I can relate to.”

“Struggling to sleep?”

“Just suggested that, didn’t I?” Sometimes Nick just couldn’t help himself.

“Christ, don’t be such a dick. I was gonna offer you a drag,” Louis, always one to keep up, snapped right back.

Sighing, Nick just deflated. He didn’t particularly feel up to a fight. He was tired and had promised Harry (yet again) that he’d at least try to be civil with Louis – the latest occasion when Harry had cornered him after they’d shared lifeguard duties the day before. It didn’t, however, mean that he was in any particular hurry to forget the little fright Louis had sprung on him. Louis would still definitely have to pay for that. But for now, Nick just wanted peace and, well, it had been too long since his last smoke back in Manchester.

“Sorry,” Nick apologised, only feeling vaguely guilty, his eyes drifting to the orange glow at the end of Louis’ cigarette.

Louis just sighed and thrust out the cigarette towards Nick. He frowned when Nick didn’t immediately take it. “Well?”

“Uh, thanks.” Nick accepted it, ignoring the small tingle he felt at the brief brush of their fingers, and took a deep drag, the smoke filling his mouth and lungs and the accompanying burn all too familiar and surprisingly missed. He groaned happily, exhaling the smoke back out. Fuck, he’d missed this. He tended to only smoke on nights out and when he was particularly stressed, having more or less given up after splitting from his ex.

He could feel Louis’ eyes on him. Studying him. But when Nick tried to make eye contact, Louis quickly looked away, clearly trying to pretend he hadn’t been staring, watching Nick closely as he smoked. When Nick didn’t stop looking questioningly back at him, Louis’ eyes returned to him, brows furrowed. Despite the darkness, Nick could’ve sworn he saw colour in those sharp cheekbones.

“Gonna give it back? I only have so many,” Louis said then, reaching his hand back out expectantly.

“Oh, uh, oops. Sorry.” Nick handed it back over, this time feeling his own cheeks heat.

To his surprise though, after taking a deep inhale, Louis sighed, tendrils of smoke curling out from between his lips, and held the cigarette back out for Nick to take. “Here, we may as well share.”

Unconsciously biting his lip, Nick nodded, accepting it back. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

And so, of all things, Nick found himself, out in the woods in the middle of the night, sharing first one and then two, illicit cigarettes with Louis Tomlinson.

. . .

Nick was overseeing a group of the campers playing a pick-up game of football (English football, naturally, as Louis had been the one to instigate it) with some of the counsellors, it was free time, everyone just having had lunch a little while ago. Personally, Nick didn’t know how they all did it, full and lazy from having eaten almost his body weight in tacos, the only thing from keeping him going back to his bunk for a good afternoon nap, was his responsibilities as a counsellor. As well as the sight of Louis’ arse as he ran about in those basketball shorts. Nick was only human, okay.

“Nice goal, Colin!” Louis cheered when one of the kids, a lanky boy with a thatch of dark hair from Louis and Harry’s cabin, managed to get the ball between the opposite team’s makeshift goals (a pair of trainers that one of the campers had kindly donated). The kid grinned widely, laughing when Harry ran over to sweep him up into a hug.

“What’s the score?”

Nick looked up to see Storm had come over, clearly having been relieved of his lifeguard duties by the lake and still dripping wet, only in his boardshorts. He had a six-pack that had Nick self-consciously sucking in his own, rather unremarkable stomach, even while currently clad in his Smiths t-shirt, a favourite of his (he’d started the whole band shirt thing, okay). Nick wasn’t fat, by any means, but he didn’t exactly have much definition either. He needed to maybe add some sit-ups to his new jogging routine that he planned to take up when he got back home…

“Grimmy?”

“Hmm?” Nick looked up, realising he’d zoned out – naturally with his eyes still lingering on Storm’s abs. His cheeks heated a bit, but he managed to look nonchalant about the whole thing for the most part.

“I asked what the score was,” Storm laughed, as he flopped down on the bench next to Nick, clearly unbothered by his (unintentional) staring. Good. Nick liked that about Storm, that he was so laidback and unconfrontational. Unlike someone else who came only too quickly to mind.

“Not exactly sure what it is – the score that is. I can’t say I’ve been paying too much attention, I’m really just trying to soak up some sun. Want to get myself some good ol’ vitamin D,” Nick replied, eyes lazily closing, until the innuendo of his last statement caught up to him and they snapped back open. Christ, he had _not_ meant it like that. What must Storm think of him?

He was honestly not trying to flirt with the blond, while he could appreciate his whole blond-haired, blue-eyed, ripped surfer aesthetic, he could also clearly sense a definite ‘straight’ tell in his gaydar (for lack of a better word). He didn’t want to make the guy uncomfortable, or waste his own time. Also, either way, he happened to work with Storm and, as past experience was definitely showing, that was just a terrible idea, so no. Just… no.

Luckily Storm just laughed again and shrugged. “I can see that, though you should probably be more careful. When last did you put on sunscreen? You’re looking a little pink.”

“Shit, you’re kidding me? Where?” This was so typical of Nick’s luck, honestly, but Storm was nice about it as he gently reached over to lightly touch the back of Nick’s neck. Yup, it was definitely tender.

“The back of your neck is probably the worst,” Storm confirmed, having leaned in close to have a look, his hands, still cool from his swim, felt good on Nick’s hot skin. Great, an uncomfortable sunburn would certainly help with his already miserable sleeping situation.

He’d just looked up to complain about this when his senses kicked in, just a second too slow and he caught a glimpse of something white and suspiciously spherical, before it hit him square in the face.

 

~ * ~

 

“Grimmy, watch ou–!”

“Oh shit, sorry!”

“Oh fuck,” Harry swore, momentarily forgetting the children around them as he charged off in the direction of his friend, Nick having fallen right back off the bench with the impact of the ball hitting him.

“Nice one, Louis,” Greg said with no real heat, clapping Louis on the back as he too headed over to the unfolding scene before them, some of the campers running over too, while others just watched on, wide-eyed, looking between Louis and the small gathering. A few were also looking rather expectantly at Louis. Well, shit.

Swallowing his pride – it was essentially part of his job to set a good example after all – Louis trudged over to Nick, who’d managed to sit back up, naturally with the help of Storm, who was supporting his weight, while Nick’s head was tipped back and he cupped his nose. It was bleeding, some blood having managed to drip down to his chin already, before he’d attempted to stop it, his long fingers too were also beginning to leak some slick red from between their gaps. Great.

 _Shit,_ Louis hoped his nose wasn’t broken. He’d never hear the end of it. The very thought, in fact, had him rolling his eyes. Regardless of whether his nose was broken or not, Nick would probably hold this over his head for the rest of the summer (if not longer).

“Can someone get together some ice? An icepack preferably, if we put it on the back of his neck, it’ll help stem the blood.” Storm was already giving out orders, no doubt eager to show off the fact that he had a rather advanced first aid knowledge that went beyond the other counsellors’ basic training. It had something to do with his semi-professional surfing or whatever, he’d mentioned it on their last hike, but Louis hadn’t really been paying attention. He got it, okay, Storm was just irritatingly good at everything for whatever reason. Louis couldn’t help rolling his eyes again at it all.

“I’ll go!” one of the campers, Ashton, from Greg and Niall’s cabin, eagerly offered, before one of his mates volunteered too and the two boys ran off in the direction of the mess hall.

“Alright, c’mon you lot, let’s not crowd around Grimmy, give him some space,” Jesy was then saying, making Louis aware for the first time of how big the little crowd around Nick had gotten.

“Are you okay, Grimmy?”

“Of course he’s not, his nose could be broken!

“Is his nose broken?”

“I bet it is, the same thing happened to my cousin. There was so much blood!”

“No way!”

“Is Grimmy crying?!”

“Well wouldn’t you?”

“Okay, okay, c’mon guys, break it up. Break it up. What would you all say to going to join some of the others for a swim instead?” Greg said, helping Jesy by breaking up the curious chatter amongst the campers, Leigh-Anne joining in too, the three of them managing to disperse the growing crowd of children. Some of the campers were more reluctant to leave, but when Jesy got that stern look in her eyes, they made their way down to the lake with the others, only a few grumbles following their departure.

Then it was just Harry, Niall and Louis with Storm and his patient, who was definitely groaning a little in pain.

“Yikes, do you think it’s broken?” Niall asked, low enough for only Louis to hear, the two of them standing a bit back still, while Harry and Storm fussed over Nick, who’d begun to swear furiously to himself now that the kids had all gone.

That pang in Louis’ gut was not guilt. It couldn’t be. He had done nothing wrong, Nick should have been paying more attention. Rogue balls were just par for the course in ball games, it was to be expected if anything. It was his fault for being so bloody careless and distracted.

Louis hadn’t meant to hit Nick with the ball. Not really. It had just glanced off his foot wrong, honestly. It wasn’t his fault that the lanky twat insisted on sitting right on the side lines, close to the action so to speak, to flirt with surfer boys. Fit, shirtless surfer boys. Okay, maybe the deflection wasn’t quite as accidental as Louis was claiming… But still!

“Dunno, he’s always one for the dramatics, can’t say from what I can see now,” Louis shrugged, aiming for nonchalant and just about achieving it. He didn’t feel bad about the fact that Nick had clearly managed to actually get properly hurt. He didn’t. Nick’s eyes _were_ definitely streaming though…

“Yeah, bit of a shite one, the nose. Hurts like a bastard and always makes your eyes tear,” Niall nodded, before turning around at the heavy footfalls and victorious cries of the two boys from his cabin, returning with ice packs that they were flailing about in the air.

 

~ * ~

 

“You doing alright?” Clara asked, stopping by Nick on her way back over to sit with the others, having just returned from the loos.

Nick was most certainly not doing alright, his nose was bigger than ever and currently more closely resembled a tomato than it did an actual human appendage, the small white plaster over the bridge, covering where the impact had split his skin, not doing any favours to the whole look either. That all then didn’t even take into account the fact that it was fucking throbbing, despite the painkillers he’d taken earlier, his sunburn long forgotten. All in all, he felt absolutely wretched.

As a result, Nick was currently in self-enforced exile, sitting on the outskirts of the campfire ring, staying out of all the songs and stories and even the marshmallows. He wanted to be alone. Wanted to mope in all his self-pity on his own. It was because of this, that he offered her his best attempt at a smile, only wincing slightly at the shift it caused around his tender nose, “Yeah, ‘m alright. Just, er, stargazing a bit. Lost in my own thoughts, you know.”

“Hmm.” Clara didn’t sound particularly convinced, her big brown eyes looking him over sceptically. “Want me to sit with you for a bit?”

“No, no, don’t worry about me. You’re having a good time with the kids and, anyway, I’m enjoying a bit of me time, you know. Chasing after all these kids and making sure the counsellors are all doing okay is exhausting.” Christ, he did _not_ want her to sit with him.

It may be a bit of a first, but Nicholas Grimshaw honestly was not in the mood to socialise. He just so happened to be surrounded by a large group of children that he was in part responsible for though, so he could hardly run back to the cabin and properly be alone, as he wished. So this, sitting on the edge of the circle on the furthest of one of the large tipped over tree trunks they used for benches at the campfire, was his best bet. The rest were all packed with children and camp counsellors alike, all trying to get close to the fire with their marshmallows and excitable chatter.

Clara gave him another careful look, but thankfully decided to leave him to it, as she let out a little sigh, but squeezed his shoulder affectionately, before heading back over to her seat beside Storm and a group made up from a mix of their two cabins.

Nick briefly watched as Storm greeted her with a wide smile and made more room for her. He really was such a nice guy, Nick couldn’t for the life of him understand what Louis’ problem with the bloke was, though it did give him a little hope. Maybe Louis was just like that about some (perfectly nice and decent) people for no real reason – just because – and that was where Nick also just so happened to land in Louis’ screwed up little mind. God, Nick should just stop fretting about all that shit anyway, Louis just didn’t like him, so the fuck what. Why did he even care?

And _fuck_ , his bloody nose hurt. Fucking Tomlinson.

Deciding to just embrace his blissfully alone (well, as alone as he was going to get) state, Nick let out a tired sigh and took a sip from the _Diet Coke_ that he’d nearly forgotten about, the can having been lazily cradled in his fingers for a while now. It was no longer cool, but rather more lukewarm thanks to a combination of the hot Californian summer and the flames of the fire nearby.

Nick was just beginning to lazily contemplate whether or not it was still worth drinking the last, tepid remains, his eyes looking down at the can, as if hoping for an answer to reveal itself, when a shadow fell over the soft light coming through to him from the fire. It probably said a lot about how bad his little ‘Louis issue’ was getting, that he could identify him by smell, the subtle mix of familiar sun cream still lingering about from the day, fading aftershave (though he was pretty sure Louis had given up properly taming his scruff the last few days) and a hint of boy sweat; a combination that Nick had become rather well acquainted with over the last couple summers. He hadn’t even gotten particularly close to the source ever, except for that last night almost a year ago, but he knew it, it could only be Louis.

“You know, you never see skinny people drinking _Diet Coke_.”

Sighing, Nick looked up to offer Louis only his most unimpressed look. “You come over to tell me I’m fat then?” This was literally the last thing Nick was in the mood for.

“No, of course not, you’re lanky, not a curve to be found. I’m just saying – it doesn’t taste nearly as good as regular, with no added benefits, so why bother?”

Nick sighed again. He always drank Diet, he wasn’t even exactly sure why anymore, he just did. He wasn’t about to bother telling the irritating prick that though. “Well, it doesn’t have any sugar in it for one…”

“Yeah, but then they just put even more artificial shit in it anyway instead,” Louis shrugged.

Nick just grunted in response, before taking a swig from the can of _Coke_ (his decision easily having been made in the end). He expected Louis to disappear off again then like usual, their little back and forth done, but instead, to Nick’s total surprise (and mild horror), Louis moved to sit down beside him on the log.

“What? You going to insult my appearance some more then? Maybe make a comment about my busted face? After all it is thanks to your part mostly–”

“What? No, of course not,” Louis objected immediately, his eyes briefly flitting from Nick’s eyes to round about where his swollen nose was. He then sighed in obvious frustration.

“Well, then what? Why’d you sit down?”

“I, uh, I wanted to…”

“Yes, you wanted to? What?” Nick was really getting irritated now, Louis coming in to interrupt his little pity party and so far only making him feel even worse.

“Okay, look, I just wanted to apologise, okay? For the whole incident this afternoon, yeah? I’m sorry you got hurt,” Louis managed to spit out, sounding rather a bit irritated as he stumbled out his apology.

Nick narrowed his eyes, trying to read Louis’ expression better, determined blue eyes staring him down right back. Despite Nick’s misgivings, Louis seemed to really be genuinely sorry, so Nick sighed. “Alright, thanks. Not like you did it on purpose anyway.”

“Ah-hmm,” Louis just hummed, eyes drifting in the direction of the fire as he unconsciously began to gnaw on a nail.

Nail biting was a bad habit of Louis’ that Nick had picked up on years ago, something that really annoyed him, but which he usually just ignored, tonight though he just thought ‘fuck it’ and tugged Louis’ hand away from his mouth. Those blue eyes shot back to him in surprise, as the hand was quickly yanked back out of Nick’s loose hold.

“You know they say the bacteria under one’s nails is like the equivalent to licking a public toilet seat,” Nick felt the need to point out when said blue eyes narrowed at him in obvious annoyance.

“It’s hardly the same thing and, anyway, why the hell do you even care what I do with my mouth?” At this, Louis went so far as to even raise one of his eyebrows challengingly, hinting at the fact he was talking about a lot more than just nail biting.

“I don’t,” the words immediately shot out of Nick’s mouth, before he (more calmly) added, “Why should I?”

Louis just shrugged and looked back towards the fire again. Conversation clearly done. Nick then looked towards the fire too, at all the campers and counsellors chatting away ahead of them, yawns strewn in amongst the chatter. It was getting late.

Nick looked back at Louis. He found himself watching the firelight dancing along his profile, shadows casting his features in relief, hollowing out his cheeks thanks to those sharp cheekbones of his, making the scruff along his jaw shine more auburn than brown. He didn’t immediately look away when Louis’ head turned back to look at him again.

Neither said anything, Nick’s face feeling just about as unreadable as Louis’ looked. He offered Louis the near-empty _Coke_ can.

He didn’t know who was more surprised when Louis actually accepted it. He then simply tipped it back against his lips, finishing the last of it, Nick’s eyes taking in the way Louis’ Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

When he was done, the pair both absentmindedly gazed back towards the fire, no more words passing between them for a while. Louis was then the one to break the silence some time later, some of the campers already having made their way to bed.

“ _Diet Coke_ really _is_ shite.”

Nick didn’t even find it particularly funny – he also did happen to quite like the stuff – but found himself laughing regardless. He caught the way Louis’ lips twitched, fighting a smile, before he got up and left again.

. . .

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“C’mon, Louis, I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t have to. Rita’s sprained her wrist really badly and Clara’s already scrambling to organise the recital. We need a more experienced counsellor on board, it’s just policy. C’mon, please, Louis.” Nick was literally pleading now, he couldn’t believe Louis was being so bloody difficult about all of this.

Rita had gone and sprained her wrist taking part in the ‘Great Race’ scavenger hunt earlier in a nasty fall, so could no longer go on the canoeing trip that afternoon. They were in a bind, surely a couple hours extra with Storm wasn’t _that_ bad? When Nick pointed this out, however, Louis just about flipped his lid.

“Excuse me?! Are you trying to imply something here?”

“Well, no, not something that isn’t already well-established knowledge: we all know you don’t like Storm. But please, could you just put whatever your petty little grievances are aside and just help out. We’re all a team here and so have to work as one. Just please, for once be a team player. Besides, one would think that you would be pleased to get out of having to help out with the production.”

And that was clearly the wrong thing to say too, given the way Louis’ usually azure irises now more resembled thunder clouds, his hands balled up into trembling fists at his sides. “Fuck you, Grimshaw. Not everything has to do with your bloody little boyfriend, you know. Did it even occur to you that I was maybe actually really looking forward to helping Clara with the play?! I’ve never gotten to help out with it before.”

Nick chose to just let the boyfriend comment (what the hell was that even about anyway?) slide, as he just groaned in frustration, but also genuine confusion. “You’ve wanted to help out with the plays? _You? Really?_ ”

And there Nick went saying the wrong thing yet again. Of course. If looks could kill…

“Yes, _me._ It may not have ever occurred to your hairspray sozzled out brain, but I actually love theatre – in fact I’ve just changed a major at uni, but don’t mind me, you can go waltz about pretending you know anything about prose or costumery and I’ll go get on one of those fucking boats.”

“I’m not going to help with the play either – I have a mountain of admin to get through. Besides, I thought Harry said you were studying to become a teacher?” Nick stumbled over his words, thrown. He hadn’t meant to set off Louis like this, he knew he would be displeased with the change of plans, but he’d had no idea things would… well, go in this direction. Now he felt like shit too, for just assuming something about Louis.

“I want to be a _drama_ teacher. Not that it’s really any of your fucking business anyway.”

“Well you’re certainly dramatic enough!” Nick just couldn’t seem to help himself sometimes though, but Louis was being completely unreasonable too. Nick had had no idea and here Louis was treating him like an absolute imbecile, it was almost pure instinct just to lash back out.

“You’re one to fucking talk! The way you go on, it’s a wonder you ever had to come out to your mum at all.”

“Well at least _I_ have!” It was a low blow that Nick wished he could take back as soon as the words had leapt from his mouth.

“Fuck you, Nick. You don’t know shit about my life.”

“Have you even told Harry?”

“That I’m queer?” Louis sneered. “He knows, they all actually do. Thank you. Though no one knows that I was ever pissed up enough to snog your ugly mug.”

And with that, Louis turned around and stormed off, finally making Nick aware of the curious onlookers nearby. When Nick looked back at them, however, the campers (and Jade and Perrie) quickly looked away and went back to pretending to be doing their dance class, the open studio door clearly having alerted them to the argument taking place outside. Nick only hoped they were far enough that w _hat_ they’d been arguing about hadn’t been overheard…

Nick could feel that his cheeks were burning up, but he wasn’t sure if it was from anger or Louis’ (less than complementary) final acknowledgement of what happened last summer. So, clearly, he _did_ remember after all.

Nick pushed his fingers through his hair, not caring if he messed up his quiff. He was shaken and upset. How the hell had a conversation, asking Louis to fill in for another counsellor, ended up like _that_. What was his problem? _Their_ problem. Why couldn’t they just be amicable, he knew it was possible, that night at the start of the summer when they’d smoked together, or even the one a week or so ago by the bonfire had proven it was (more or less) possible. Yet that was only two incidents in well over a month, in which they spent time together at some point nearly every day…

They couldn’t keep going on like this, they couldn’t.

And Nick clearly just needed to move the fuck on already and get Louis Tomlinson out of his head…

 

~ * ~

 

“He’s such a fucking wanker. I’ve been looking forward to this stupid play since the start of camp,” Louis complained, more or less repeating what he’d been bitching about to Zayn for the last half hour. He was absolutely furious, he’d stalked all the way over to the Arts and Crafts cabin to try cool down, knowing Zayn was the better option of his best mates here to complain to about Nick, the other boy usually a very good listener and (perhaps more importantly) not best mates with Nick too.

“Yeah, but it’s likely that he didn’t know that, yeah? I mean, I did, of course I did, but how was he supposed to know? It’s not like you’re all chatty with one another,” Zayn, always the diplomat (when he wasn’t the one fighting, that is), pointed out, passing Louis a new paint brush to scrub clean.

If he was going to have to listen to Louis ranting about Nicholas Grimshaw (yet a-fucking-gain), he may as well benefit and when Louis got in these moods he was inclined not to even notice what he was doing. Something that was definitely benefitting Zayn in regard to the paint encrusted brushes that were currently being furiously scrubbed clean in the old wash-up sink. One less chore for Zayn to do; that saying involving the two birds and one stone came to mind.

Louis paused briefly, fingers gone a dirty indigo from the brushes, halting his vicious scouring as he clearly processed Zayn’s words. Only to then shake his head dismissively and kickstart right back into action, water splashing up with his furious motions.

“It doesn’t matter. He’s an absolute and utter fucking prick, either way. Honestly, I’m not sure I’ll come back next year if it means I’ll have to deal with him again.”

“You’d still see him at Harry’s gettogethers occasionally anyway,” Zayn, oh so helpfully, insisted to continue pointing out more unhelpful truths that Louis, quite frankly, did not want to hear. Why had Louis even come to Zayn again? He should have just gone to Niall – even if it would mean having to listen to him wax poetic about Rita in between his own attempts at letting off some steam.

Louis just let out an irritated huff, hoping that Zayn would just get the gist of how unhelpful Louis was finding him. It must have had some effect, because then Zayn was letting out his own annoyed grunt.

“Look, Louis, as much as I love your company, I’d appreciate it if you’d stop by here once in a while _not_ just to bitch about Grimmy.”

“Excuse me, I don’t just ‘bitch’ about him,” Louis rushed to his own defence, only to be met with one of Zayn Malik’s rather infamous unimpressed looks. “Okay, fine. Whatever, Zayn. Wash your own fucking brushes then,” Louis said, throwing the new brush he’d just begun working on into the murky water and stepping away from the trough, wiping his dripping hands on his faded, old denim shorts.

Before he could make his exit, however, Zayn grabbed hold of his forearm and pulled him back. “Oh, c’mon, Lou, don’t be like that. I’m glad you popped by – even if it was just to rant about your favourite person to hate on. I feel like we haven’t been seeing as much of each other this summer as we usually would. I miss you, bro.”

“Yeah, well, you _have_ been spending a whole lot of time with Liam…” When Zayn flushed at his words, Louis couldn’t help the wide, mischievous grin which took over his face, his anger momentarily forgotten. “You like him, don’t you!”

“Well, er, you see, uh–”

“Oh my God, Zee! It’s those big puppy dog eyes, isn’t it? That, or the washboard abs don’t hurt either... Do you think he’s interested too? I mean, he could swing that way too, I don’t know, I get a kind of vibe off of him… do you? Have you told him? Shit, why has it taken me so long to twig this all?”

“Maybe ‘cause you’ve been so distracted with your obsession over a certain lanky, big-haired twat the whole time – more so than in the past I suspect even…”

“What? That’s not true! I am so not ‘obsessed’ with Nick!”

“Ooh, so it’s _Nick_ now, is it? I don’t know how to break this to you, Louis, but it sounds like _you’re_ the one with a crush here.”

Louis’ jaw dropped. _What?!_

Louis had opened his mouth, ready to shoot back with whatever denial sprang first to his tongue – having completely fallen for Zayn’s signature tactic of deflection despite being someone who should definitely know better – but was cut off by a loud knock on the door, before it swung open to reveal none other than Liam.

“Sorry, I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” All big brown eyes and confused innocence.

Louis rolled his own eyes, only to then meet Zayn’s ones. They’d gone quite wide, as they stared back at Louis rather frantically, between flitting back over at Liam and–Oh. Oh, right. Well, clearly Zayn _had_ registered Louis’ little discovery, despite having wasted no time in ignoring it point blank and (wrongly!) accusing him of madness.

Louis was tempted, he really was, but at the end of the day, he _was_ a good mate, so instead of saying anything… incriminating, he simply shook his head. “No, actually I was just leaving, I have an unplanned for canoe trip to prepare for. So, I’ll just leave you two crazy kids alone then.” He received a sharp elbow to the ribs for adding on that last bit. Hey, he’d behaved! More or less... Zayn shouldn’t have made such a ridiculous accusation anyway.

A glance over at Zayn showed he was clearly the least bit amused (as also suggested by the elbow), but he needn’t have worried, however, about what Louis had or had not implied, because Liam seemed completely oblivious, instead he shook his head.

“Um, actually, Tommo, about that…”

 

~ * ~

 

Nick was just returning from the loos, when he heard a splash from the lake in the not too far distance. He looked back over at his cabin and then in the direction of the lake, towards where he’d heard the sound coming from...

Eh, what did he have to lose? If this turned into something right out of an old cult-classic summer camp horror, so be it.

It was incredibly hot and dipping his feet in the cool water sounded infinitely better than climbing back into a stuffy hot bed and trying to fight his way back into fitful sleep. Even the thought of going back had him lifting the back of his old Cramp’s tee away from his sweaty neck, to let some air hit his skin, it really was surprisingly muggy out. So, instead of heading back to bed, he headed off towards the water, eager to submerge his feet and cool off a bit. Besides, he was also curious about what had caused the noise. It could just be a fish, or…

…or Louis Tomlinson having a night swim, as Nick soon found out when he eventually reached the jetty. Of course it was Louis, Nick didn’t even know why he was surprised.

“Grim! You’re up and out pretty late, aren’t you?” Louis greeted him, paddling closer to the jetty, the dark, almost black, water making ripples with his movement under the moonlight.

“I could say the same to you,” Nick said, crossing his arms as he stood on the timber decking, eyes taking in their surroundings.

The lake looked so different at night, gone were all the laughing and yelling children, swim things and boats stored away, the darkness casting a whole new atmosphere about the area, transforming it. Making it look like it could almost be somewhere else entirely. The dark water looked cold, the night-time obscuring Nick’s vision and limiting his outlook across the lake, making it appear almost endless. Nick was suddenly rather grateful for the company, even if it was Louis’, the whole place giving him a bit too eerie a feeling for comfort. Clearly, he did have some misgivings about having a potential roll in a slasher film after all.

“What are you doing anyway?” Nick couldn’t help asking after Louis briefly ducked his head under the water, only to quickly re-emerge, pushing his dripping wet hair back and out of his face. It was the first time he’d seen Louis since their big argument that morning, having returned late from his afternoon out. He didn’t look nearly as hostile, which was, well, of course always nice…

“What does it look like? I’m swimming, obviously.” It was dark, and Nick couldn’t see for sure, but he was pretty sure Louis rolled his eyes. That was a little more like it.

“Okay, dumb question, fair enough,” Nick admitted, pushing his own wilted fringe off his sweaty forehead. “Just… in the middle of the night? You seem to forever be up and about at the maddest of hours.”

Louis just shrugged, causing some more rippling with the movement, as he otherwise just continued to lazily tread the water. “It’s different here at night, don’t you think? More… peaceful.”

“Don’t you find it, I don’t know, a little creepy?”

“Creepy?” Louis asked and, this time thanks to the moonlight, Nick could make out the way his eyebrows raised questioningly.

“Yeah, the water, it’s so dark. Nearly black. It looks almost bottomless; endless even. Besides, you can’t see into it, you don’t know what might be swimming in there with you – beside you…” 

Louis laughed, the sound light and airy and, surprisingly, not meanspirited.

“You’re mad. I can promise you, it’s fine. In fact… you should really get in, the water’s lovely. And that’s why you came down here, isn’t it, to cool down?”

“How’d you know? And, anyway, that’s exactly what an evil water dwelling creature would say to lure me in…”

And there was that silly, airy laugh again, Louis shaking his head. “Mad! I can assure you, I’m not some siren or what have you, trying to lure you to your doom – though it is interesting that you would think such a thing would take _my_ form…” Nick flushed, but luckily didn’t have to reply to that little… insinuation, Louis still rambling on. Nick could swear he was the only person he knew who spoke nearly as much as he himself did. “And I know ‘cause you look a bit of a mess, all rumpled and sweaty…”

“Gee, thanks,” Nick scoffed, frowning to himself. Sure, he knew he was all hot and bothered, literally sweaty under the collar and all, but that didn’t mean he appreciated the fact being pointed out (none too delicately no less) to him by Louis Tomlinson, of all people.

“So, are you going to get in or not then, Grimshaw?” Louis asked, brushing that all aside once more as he dragged his hand along the surface of the water, creating an arching splash around himself. “It really is… refreshing.” He grinned widely.

Nick shook his head. “I never planned on getting in – just wanted to dip my feet in for a bit.” And to show he meant it, Nick sat down on the jetty, letting his feet slide in to the cool – admittedly refreshing – water.

“Aww, c’mon, Nick, don’t be so lame,” Louis pouted, much to Nick’s bewilderment. He had no idea why Louis was suddenly being so nice to him. Well, nice for Louis, anyway.

“What’s gotten into you, anyway?” Nick couldn’t help asking, suddenly now suspicious, that morning’s argument coming to mind.

Louis just shrugged, before then sighing. “Nothing. Though, er, I’ve been wanting to thank you, um, you know, for today. So, uh, yeah, thank you.”

“Oh. _Oh._ ” And suddenly it all made a lot more sense, though he was surprised that Louis seemed genuinely thankful that Nick had, in the end, given up his own afternoon meant for doing his (already long overdue) admin duties to instead take Rita’s place on the canoe trip for Louis, so that he could still help out with the production. Honestly, he hadn’t really expected so much as a thank you from Louis, not after how hostile he’d been that morning. He didn’t know what that said for Nick’s opinion on Louis, but he was pleased to be proven wrong. “Uh, sure, no problem. I mean, if I’d known how important the play was to you…”

Louis just shrugged, clearly done with the distraction and back to his earlier quest: to get Nick to join him for a swim. “Well, you gonna get in or not then?”

“I didn’t even bring my swimsuit,” Nick pointed out.

“So? Neither did I,” Louis laughed, much more in the manner that Nick had come to expect of him: like Nick was an absolute plonker.

Eyes a little wider at Louis' words, Nick followed the direction Louis was looking in to see what he'd failed to earlier: a crumpled t-shirt and pair of boxers discarded on top of Louis' unmistakable beat-up, old pair of Converse, complete with messy marker doodles. He slowly looked back to see Louis still grinning widely at him.  
  
“C’mon, Nick, don't be such a prude. It’s night-time – I’ll even cover my eyes if you’re so scared I’ll stare at your dick.”  
  
Nick could feel his cheeks heat, but he shook his head. “I’m not a prude! But we could get into so much shit for this, what if one of the campers stumbles upon us?”   
  
“They _won't_ , but fine. Be lame, I on the other hand am going to enjoy myself.” And with that, Louis disappeared under the surface, before his feet and then also his calves appeared out of the water to make a messy scissoring motion, before collapsing back into the water with a splash.  
  
‘Fuck it’, Nick thought and stood back up. He was still bloody sticky and hot and since when was he such a goodie two shoes anyway? He wasn't getting any younger and this could very likely be his last year at camp, so he might as well do this summer properly. As cliché as it was, skinny dipping _did_ seem to be one of those classic must-do summer activities.  
  
Nick made quick work of his top and hastily stepped out of his boxers before just leaping right in, all too aware of the fact that Louis had since resurfaced. Besides, he doubted he could trust Louis to actually close his eyes anyway.  
  
“Fuck!” Nick whisper shouted upon emerging back out of the water. While there was a fairly cool layer of water on top, where Nick's feet had been hanging, the water further down was positively icy, despite the summer heatwave outside.  
  
“Yeah, s'a bit chilly at first,” Louis practically cackled with glee, clearly chuffed with himself. Nick wouldn’t be surprised if seeing Nick turn into a human ice cube had been Louis’ sole reason to get him to jump in all along.  
  
“Could’ve warned me, you absolute wanker!” Nick accused him before, without even thinking about it, he attacked, grabbing hold of Louis' shoulders and dunking him back under the surface.  
  
Louis fought back, his smaller body thrashing under Nick's hold and suddenly reminding him of the distinct lack of any clothing between them, cool wet skin knocking into his own under water. Nick immediately released his hold.  
  
Spluttering and shaking out their wet hair from their eyes, both of them resurfaced and Nick had a moment of sudden, gripping fear, not at all sure how Louis would react. He'd actually begun to enjoy himself, him and Louis seeming to make some actual progress, but now feared he'd gone and (quite literally) shoved them right back at square one.  
  
To his great surprise (and by the looks of him, Louis' own) though, Louis simply burst into sudden laughter. Before launching a sudden counter attack, clearly less perturbed (or simply forgetting himself) about the fact that they were both completely starkers, and so easily pulling a still rather perplexed Nick right back under the water.

So, laughing and gasping for air occasionally, the pair lost themselves in a playful wrestling match in the water, dunking and splashing one another, all while trying to remember to keep it down a bit. After all, despite it feeling like they were all alone in the world in this moment, there were actually still cabins not too far in the distance full of sleeping campers and counsellors alike.   
  
Eventually, easily tiring after the demanding physical task of canoeing that afternoon – an activity Nick didn't usually partake in ever – Nick gaspingly surrendered, holding his hands up defensively as Louis splashed water at his face. Tired laughter was still punching its way out of him, amongst the tired gasps for air and, mercifully, Louis took pity on him and stopped his onslaught.  
  
Satisfied that Louis had stopped targeting his face, Nick let his hands drop back down into the water with a splash, offering Louis a grateful smile. Louis grinned right back; a genuine and surprisingly warm smile.   
  
Nick's eyes widened all on their own accord, surprised. He didn't believe Louis had ever actually smiled at him. Certainly not like he was now. Nick also couldn't help but notice how close they both still were, only a few inches of water separating them.  
  
Louis seemed to arrive at the same realisation round about then too, if the way his wide grin began to falter a bit self-consciously was any indication. Despite the relative darkness, Nick was also pretty sure he could see colour rise in his cheeks. Nick's own were certainly suspiciously warm.  
  
“Uh, Nick, look, about–”  
  
“Louis, we really need–”  
  
They both suddenly blurted out at the same time, Louis apparently also sensing the sudden shift in the atmosphere around them, only to be swiftly interrupted by the sound of feet rapidly slapping wooden decking, before there was a sudden splash just a couple feet away from them.  
  
“Hey, Ni, wait up!” Came Harry’s rather distinctive voice before a second splash sounded out, some of the water actually hitting Nick and Louis’ startled faces, just as Niall’s head popped up out of the water.  
  
“Skinny dipping without us then, where was my invite, Tommo?” Niall asked playfully, pushing his wet fringe off his face as Harry surfaced too, a stupidly wide grin on his face.  
  
“Nick! Fancy finding you here too!”  
  
“What do you mean?” Nick asked, confused, looking between the two new additions that had interrupted what Nick felt might have actually been shaping into something... quite significant. He was also doing his best to keep the disappointment he felt from his voice. He was dying to know what Louis had been about to say.  
  
"Well, I woke up to find Louis' bunk empty and figured he must have gone for a sneaky dip – and without me? Thanks, Lou... I then bumped into Niall on the way,” Harry explained with a shrug, piling all his drenched hair into a sopping wet heap atop his head, only to then shake it all out like a dog.   
  
“Yeah, I was on my way back from the loos, but figured a night swim sounded a treat in this heat,” Niall added.  
  
“So, wait, you lot do this often then, sneak off for secrete night swims when everyone else is asleep?” Nick asked in surprise, this being the first time he’d heard any of this, and he’d been a counsellor here for four summers! He couldn't help pouting. “Thanks for all the invites...”  
  
Harry at least had the decency to look a bit sheepish. “I don’t know, Nick. I’m sorry, I actually stumbled across Louis doing it last summer and just sorta joined in. I knew you two didn’t really get on, so never brought it up...”  
  
“But hey, here we all are now! C'mon now, let’s not fight, yeah? Rather just enjoy one another’s company under the beautiful moonlight and stars – you don’t get a night sky like this in the city, after all,” Niall said, now floating on his back, carefree and completely at ease with nothing but a bit of water and the night to cover his modesty.   
  
“Hmm, yeah, you do that, Nialler. Me, I'm gonna get out now though. Me fingers have gone all pruney already and someone has to keep an eye on our rabid little beasties,” Louis excused himself, already paddling back over to the jetty.  
  
“Aww, c’mon, Tommo, we just got here,” Niall complained, righting himself so he could properly look over at Louis and offer him his best puppy eyes.  
  
Louis just playfully flipped him off. “Next time, Ni,” he chuckled before turning back to climb out.   
  
Nick would be lying if he said his eyes didn’t go straight to the sight of Louis’ bare bum as he then hoisted himself up onto the jetty. He really did have a fantastic arse, there was no denying it. Nick quickly looked away though, all too aware of Harry and Niall’s company and not too keen on getting caught and the subsequent explanation they’d want...  
  
“Nice to see you two seemingly getting on okay for a change,” Harry said a little while later when the three of them made their way back towards the cabins after a bit of a swim, their dry clothes sticking uncomfortably to their still damp skin.

 

~ * ~

 

Louis was lounging in the sun on one of the picnic tables with Niall, pretending to listen to him go on about Rita, who herself was lying on the grass with Clara and Jade, as well as a gaggle of campers, the group all chatting and laughing amongst themselves, while others kicked around a ball or played in smaller groups. Lunch was in an hour, so everyone was just relaxing, the three girls, Niall and Louis keeping an eye on everyone hanging out on the lawn.

Louis was just contemplating lying down completely flat, currently just leaning back on his forearms on the table top, when his eyes picked up on the fact that Nick was ambling his way up from the direction of the lake, his hair wet and a towel thrown around his slim shoulders. He wasn’t alone, Storm, his own hair equally as damp, was walking with him, a muscular arm casually thrown around Nick’s shoulder as he told him something that was apparently _hilarious_. Louis’ eyes narrowed all on their own accord, especially when he took in the way Nick’s own arm was wrapped around the blond’s waist.

Bastard.

Louis was grateful for his sunglasses, the tinted lenses hiding his eyes and therefore hopefully obscuring his expression. He purposely looked back at Niall and away from them. Niall was _still_ talking about Rita, though this time retelling how she’d hurt her wrist, but hadn’t let it stop her from still earning their team a win – Niall having managed to rope her into a team with his and Greg’s bunk. ‘And that’s what one wants in a partner, isn’t it? Someone who always gives one hundred and ten percent, every time. She’s so amazing, I swear.’

“Ni, look,” Louis said, suddenly cutting his friend off, even though it had sounded like he’d been in the process of finally changing the subject to something else. “How long are you gonna be pining over her? Has she even showed any signs of being into you? ‘Cause I don’t know, I think she’s just stringing you along, mate. Besides, it’s getting _really_ boring hearing you go on about her all the time.”

“Well, excuse me, if you don’t want me to talk about her, just say so. Christ, no need to be such a dick about it. And she _did_ actually agree to go on a date with me when we all get back home,” Niall spat back with a little more venom than Louis was used to coming from the usually laidback Irishman.

Louis’ full attention instantly snapped back to Niall – he had not still been keeping an eye on Nick in his peripheral… Okay, he’d definitely overstepped, his annoyance truthfully really aimed elsewhere, but he’d given Niall the brunt of it… Great, now he really did feel like a dick.

“I’m sorry, that came out a lot harsher than I meant it,” Louis rushed to apologised, pushing his sunglasses atop his head. “And I had no idea you guys are gonna go on a date – that’s really great. I’m so happy for you. Genuinely. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like a prick…”

Niall just sighed, before glancing off to where Storm and Nick had gone to join Rita and the others.

“I told you, just now, but clearly your attention was… otherwise preoccupied,” Niall said, finally looking back at Louis after a while. His eyes looked suspiciously focused on Louis now, as if searching for something, he didn’t even really listen when Louis apologised again for not having payed attention, instead just waved him off. “You’re really one to talk.”

“Sorry?” Louis asked, frowning. He’d been trying to apologise here, he really didn’t want to argue with Niall, of all people.

“You and Grimmy,” Niall pointed out simply.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Sure you do,” Niall scoffed, a smirk playing along the corners of his lips.

Though he didn’t appreciate Niall’s implication, he was relieved that he no longer appeared to be annoyed anymore, rather just amused. At Louis’ expense, no less, but Louis could live with that. It meant he was forgiven.

 

~ * ~

 

Nick had just excused himself from the others, wanting to head back to his cabin so that he could maybe finish some of that overdue admin he still had before lunch. He didn’t quite make it that far, however.

His cabin in sight, Nick was taken by surprise when someone suddenly grabbed him by the wrist. Louis. He’d failed to notice that Louis had clearly left from his lounging spot beside Niall, to apparently stalk up on him.

“What the–” Nick began, wanting to know what the hell he was up to, only to be dragged off in the direction of one of the old sheds where they stored lots of the sports equipment.

“Shut up.” Was the only delightful response he received, before being hastily shoved inside the shed, Louis finally releasing his surprisingly tight hold from around Nick’s wrist, to follow him inside. He then stuck his head back out the door, looking around, as if to make sure no one had seen them, before shutting and latching it.

“What the fuck, Louis?” Nick demanded, rubbing his wrist. He wouldn’t be surprised if Rita wasn’t the only one to end up with a sprained wrist this week.

“Shut it,” Louis said, finally turning around to look back at Nick properly for the first time. He had a slightly manic glint in his blue eyes.

“Okay, you’re kinda freaking me out here,” Nick admitted, eyes tracking the way Louis’ fingers had come up to unthinkingly fuss over his fringe.

Louis just rolled his eyes before determinedly stalking forward and shoving Nick backwards, until his back hit the timber wall behind him and then crashed their mouths together. Nick was stunned at first, Louis’ scruff scratching against his skin, firm lips pressed against his own, strong hands holding his face and pulling him into a hunched position to make the reach easier, to pull Nick closer. But God, if this wasn’t exactly what Nick had been craving all bloody summer, his brain finally kicking into gear as he moved his own hands to take hold of Louis’ narrow waist and began to kiss the shorter brunet back in earnest.  

Now that Nick was kissing him back, Louis’ tongue began to demand entrance, which Nick readily gave him, the pair gasping hotly at the initial contact of their tongues. Fuck, it felt good to be kissing Louis, better than it had last summer even, as this time there was no alcohol involved to dull Nick’s senses. Louis’ kiss was demanding – no real surprise there – but he kissed Nick with passion, his dominating tongue, softened by the sweet little noises which escaped Louis (most likely unbeknownst to him), his thumb also gently now stroking Nick’s cheek.

Rationally, Nick knew they should stop. That they should stop now; they had to talk about this, had to make sure they didn’t just go repeating last year’s fiasco – especially now considering that they still had a week and a half left at camp. At the same time, though, Nick felt incapable of pulling away, of releasing Louis now that he had him in his arms, against his body.

Nick’s hands moved without thought, down to grab hold of Louis’ bum, to finally get his hands on those firm mounds of tempting flesh and use his hold to hitch Louis up against him. He then switched them so that Louis’ back was against the wall, using it to help support his hold on him. Louis just grunted when his back hit the wall, but he didn’t stop kissing Nick, his strong legs wrapping around Nick tightly.

Nick was quickly finding he could lose himself in Louis’ kiss, in the way Louis breathily moaned when Nick began to suck on his tongue, his fingers digging into the supple flesh of Louis’ bum through the frustrating layers of his basketball shorts and pants beneath. Louis’ own hands were no doubt causing an absolute mess of Nick’s quiff, but honestly, he couldn’t care less, even if he was (most likely) doing that on purpose.

For the most part though, Nick seemed to have taken leave of his senses, all rational thought and reason leaving him as he just continued to furiously snog Louis in the supply shed, lost in the moment and the sensation.

He managed to eventually snap out of it though, when he felt Louis’ dick, hard and insistent, rutting against his hip, making him more aware of the fact that he himself was just about bursting out of his own shorts, his cock throbbing in need. He immediately pulled away, stepping back so that Louis, staggering a bit, returned to his feet, big blue eyes dominated by blown out pupils and usually small lips, kissed red and puffy, his clothing all rumpled. He frowned back at Nick in bewildered confusion. Nick could relate. He kind of wished he was still kissing those tempting lips.

“Wait. Wait, we can’t just,” Nick helplessly waved his hand between the two of them, at a loss for words.

“Why? You seemed pretty into it too,” Louis snapped, suddenly looking a lot more pissed off (to hide his embarrassment Nick suspected) than bewildered, as he shoved his messy fringe out of his eyes.

“No, no. I mean, I was. It’s just, well, last year, we–Well, you know. You clearly weren’t interested then, what’s going on now? I’m lost. We should communicate, we can’t just dry hump and not talk about it. Acknowledge it. Not again. Louis, I can’t. I won’t.”

Aaand, Louis looked confused again, eyebrows furrowing.

“What do you mean I wasn’t interested? What the hell are you going on about?”

“Last year, you, you just left,” Nick waved his hands about again, at a loss himself. “And now, and now _this?_ What’s going on? I’m sorry, but despite my best efforts, I never seem to know what the fuck you’re thinking – how your mind works!”

Louis only frowned deeper. “I had a flight to catch – I told you about that. You’re the one that never got back to me. Never _contacted_ me!”

Okay, _what?_ Now Nick was _really_ lost.

“What?! I knew nothing about a flight? You never told me. I thought you just up and left – that, that, you had some kind of a gay crisis or something. I didn’t get a hold of you ‘cause I thought you wanted nothing to do with _me!_ ”

“A gay crisis? Really, you honestly think you were the first bloke I ever snogged and dry humped?” Louis scoffed, back to fidgeting with his fringe. “And I _did_ tell you about the flight! After, before we passed out. I told you. I told you I was headed to New York the next day; got the first ride out of here with Jesy, Perrie and Zayn.”

“Louis,” Nick sighed, shaking his head. “I was utterly sozzled – we both were – and I’d also just orgasmed. Do you really think anything would have actually gotten through to me then? Hell, I was probably out cold already, if anything. Christ, I had no idea. Why did you never say anything? Try to get a hold of me?! I mean, I was the one who thought I’d just been essentially ‘fucked and ducked’ for lack of a better phrase.” When Louis began to open his mouth, obviously to object to that last bit, Nick quickly added, “Not that we _literally_ fucked of course. But still, you get my point.”

Louis sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know. I… I thought you’d try contact me first? And I waited for you to, I did, but then, well, you never did? And next I hear of you, Harry says you’re dating some other bloke, I figured then that you clearly weren’t ever really interested in me. That it was all just a silly drunken mistake…”

“What? No, not at all. Fuck, I’d had – well, I mean, if I’m being honest here, have _always_ had – a bit of a thing for you, but you’ve always just been a dick to me–”

“What? Not fair, you’re totally the one who started off being a prat to me, I just responded in kind!” Louis interrupted Nick, objecting. Nick just raised a dubious eyebrow. He certainly didn’t remember it quite like that. Louis had definitely been the one to start all their shit. Fuck, Nick had first and foremost wanted to swap saliva with Louis, not end up trading bicthy comments instead.

Nick chose to just ignore that all though and just try continue with what he’d been about to say instead. “Look, Louis, what I’m trying to say here is, well, I _was_ interested in you – really – but I honestly didn’t know about the early flight thing. I thought you totally just freaked the fuck out and bailed… Why didn’t you at least try and wake me before you left?”

“I did, honestly, but you were literally gone to the world. Slept on like a fucking log, you did. So I ended up kinda just leaving you to it, figuring you’d call me or whatever when you got the chance.”

“That would’ve been the six-pack of beer I’d had, drinking beer always knocks me out for the count… But still, where was I even supposed to miraculously get hold of your number?”

“I don’t know, from Harry? Christ, Nick, you’re an adult – you’re older than me! – I thought you’d figure it out.”

“Okay, fair enough,” Nick consented, but _still_. “I still don’t get why you didn’t try reach out to me yourself in the end? Surely you would’ve if you were apparently as keen on me as you’re claiming here – which by the way is news to me, genuinely,” Nick asked, the pieces of what was turning out to be quite the mess up beginning to slot together and make (rather frustrating) sense. “I mean, I only started dating Ian a couple months later.”

Louis, who had begun to unconsciously gnaw on his thumb nail, just shrugged, before dropping his hand and sighing. “Look, Nick. I don’t really know, okay? I was… I don’t know? I mean...” But he broke off, only to helplessly shrug again.

And suddenly Nick felt like he was seeing Louis with some new eyes. Clearer than before. Louis wasn’t the brash and confident boy Nick had simply always pegged him as, as Louis himself liked to show he was, but rather, the side that he was showing Nick now was more vulnerable. Clearly unsure of himself. Shy even. Nick couldn’t help but wonder if his little suspicion about Louis having had a bit of a gay crisis was too far off from the truth after all. At least in the sense that he’d been so uncertain of the whole thing, had held back, waiting for Nick to give him some kind of reassurance. Some guidance.

“Fuck, I can’t believe it,” Nick groaned in frustration, dragging his hands down his face. “How did we get our wires so bloody crossed? I mean, if I’d known… If I’d had any idea…” He just shook his head helplessly. “See, this– _This_ is why we need to actually communicate. We need to be on the same page.”

Louis just grunted and nodded, before finally meeting Nick’s eyes properly again. “Well, I guess. I mean, yeah. I can see that now… So, you really were into me after all then?”

“Louis, I literally just snogged you senselessly against a wall. I think it’s fair to say I was interested – that I am _still_ interested in fact.”

Nick was surprised, but also hopelessly endeared when he saw the way Louis’ cheeks coloured a little at that, while he tried to nod nonchalantly about it all. Acting like he wasn’t actually that surprised to hear Nick admit that all, before he then suddenly asked, “But what about Storm then?”

“ _Storm?_ ” Nick asked, suddenly completely thrown all over again.

“Yeah, Storm. The two of you, I mean, all summer long you’ve been, I don’t know.” And this time it was Louis’ turn to uselessly wave his hands about for lack of what to say. “You’ve been really _close_.”

“What?!” And suddenly Nick was laughing, madly and loudly, a few unflattering snorts even escaping him as he doubled over in laughter, clutching at his convulsing stomach.

“Hey, what’s so funny? I’ve watched the two of you, you’re forever all touchy-touchy and hanging around one another…” Louis said, now back to frowning and even going so far as to cross his arms in offense.

“Oh my God, _Louis!_ Storm and I,” Nick broke off for some more laughter, before fighting through the giggles to finish what he was trying to say.  “We’re just mates. He’s also not exactly my type, not to even mention the fact that he’s straighter than a fucking arrow and totally arse over elbows for Clara. Boy’s been trying to woo her all summer, it’s why he first started hanging around me – around _us_ essentially, to get to know her better. Christ, Louis.” Nick could feel tears in his eyes from all the laughter, his stomach actually _hurt._ “Did you… did you really think… think that he… he and I…?” And Nick gave up, surrendering to yet another proper giggle fit, the realisation that he and Louis clearly had a habit of getting their wires crossed horribly hitting him too.

“Well obviously I did!” Louis shouted now, clearly offended (admittedly understandably so) by Nick’s laughter at his expense. He looked positively pissed off about it all in fact.

“Louis, I’m sorry. I can’t help it. Yikes, just the thought of Storm and I?” Nick just shook his head, wiping at his eyes, his giggles finally beginning to subside.

Louis, on the other hand, still looked incredibly pissed off – or, probably rather more accurately, embarrassed – his cheeks rosy on his scowling face. He pushed his fringe carelessly back off his face. “I’m glad my confusion amuses you so much. Funny, though, that you weren’t laughing nearly as much when I kicked that ball into your face because of it.”

“ _What?!_ I knew that wasn’t an accident! What the fuck, Louis?!” And suddenly Nick felt a lot less amused indeed. Was Louis demented? “That really fucking hurt, you know.”

Louis shrugged, but at least had the decency to look a little guilty about it, before just sighing a deflating. “I said I was sorry, didn’t I? I even checked on you that night, by the bonfire. Even sat with you for a bit. I didn’t even mean to hurt you, not really. Storm, he, well, he had his hands all over you and, I don’t know, next thing you were lying on the ground…”

“Christ, what a pair we make. Clearly, we really do have quite the problem with this whole understanding one another thing,” Nick said, shaking his head. In truth, he wasn’t even really angry with Louis about it all, though that was not to say he wouldn’t have been at the time had he known the truth. It really had hurt like a bitch, but, well, he felt he understood Louis a little better now and he really did look genuinely guilty about the whole thing. “Communication really is key after all...”

“I’m sorry, Nick, really. I’m such an idiot,” Louis groaned, covering his face with his hands, finally giving in to some of that embarrassment. “I can’t believe I thought you and Storm…” He shook his head, but dropped his hands to look back at Nick. “And you’re completely certain he’s like one hundred percent straight?”

“Like a ruler.”

“Fuck, why am I so bad at all of this? I honestly thought…” He shook his head again.

“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself, some guys really are quite hard to read – like you were, at first. To be honest, when you just went and kissed me that night I was completely thrown off guard, I’d already given up on you by then, thought that you were actually maybe into Perrie after all. And then, just now, you caught me entirely unawares again by dragging me in here to kiss me again; I guess I’d also just given up on you again too.”

“To be fair, I kinda caught meself off guard just then too. You can thank Storm for that too though…”

“Ah, yes, the whole arms around each other thing?” Louis nodded, flushing again. Nick couldn’t hold back a smile as he nodded thoughtfully back. “Well, at least it wasn’t another football to the face. Must say, I rather prefer the kissing…”

“Yeah?”

“Mm-hmm. How many more times do you want me to confess my attraction to you? I like you alright, Lord knows why – even after now finding out about the not so accidental ball to the face – but I do. There’s just something about you, Louis Tomlinson.”

“Well, the feeling’s pretty mutual, Nicholas Grimshaw,” Louis grinned, pulling a funny face when he said Nick’s full name back to him in return.

“Fuck, I just wish we’d sorted this whole mess out sooner; could’ve spent the whole summer sneaking around and getting off together.” Nick couldn’t help pouting at the missed opportunities.

“More like the past year, if we’d really clocked on to the bigger confusion earlier…”

“The past year, huh? So you’re proper serious then, about us, I don’t know, being a proper thing? Boyfriends or whatever.”

Louis nodded, that earlier look of determination back in his eyes. “Yeah, though, I haven’t really done the whole boyfriend thing before – at least not with another boy, and God knows how many years it’s been since I last had a girlfriend even. So, no promises that I’ll be any good at it, the being boyfriends thing, but I promise to try my best. I… Well, I really like you Nick.”

Nick’s cheeks ached with the impossibly wide smile that he fought to hold back, as he shrugged and attempted to look nonchalant about the whole thing. “Well, trying one’s best is always a good start, I find, in any case.”

“You’re an idiot.” Louis just punched him in the shoulder playfully, a ridiculously wide smile on his still blushing face, finally causing Nick to give in to his own broad grin, before swooping in to steal a kiss.

A kiss, which naturally devolved into some pretty heavy snogging, fingers curled in hair and clothes, tugging and pulling one another closer, while their tongues hotly slid against one another, their breathes mingling. Nick wasn’t all too surprised when he then found his back hitting the timber wall again, between the numerous shelves, their mouths not parting for a second. He suspected Louis’ scruff was giving him a bit of a beard burn, but for the life of him, he couldn’t care less.

Eventually, though, they had to break apart a bit for some proper air, their chests heaving, but both still wearing ridiculously goofy smiles on their faces. “Fuck, I love kissing you,” Nick said, pressing another tender kiss to Louis’ pink lips, which had Louis humming, before pulling away again, only to push his body firmer against Nick’s. And he was most definitely hard again, Nick easily able to feel the heat of him through their shorts.

“Hmm, could just kiss you for ages, but…”

“Yeah?” Nick prompted, dropping his hand to cup Louis’ bulge between them, making his eyes flutter in pleasure. “What do you want?” Nick asked, pressing a quick but firm kiss to Louis’ jaw.

Louis unconsciously bit down on his bottom lip, as he looked back up at Nick through heavy eyelids, his dark eyelashes sweeping over those beautiful blue eyes of his. “I kinda want you to fuck me.”

“What?” Nick asked, surprised. He hadn’t quite expected _that_ , what with given their current surroundings. “ _Now?_ Here, in the sports equipment shed?” Louis just nodded, eyes lazy and pupils wide, as he leant forward to begin sucking along one of the tendons in Nick’s neck, his hand having snuck up beneath Nick’s shirt so that he could toy with one of his nipples too. It had Nick’s (also very much hard, thank you) cock twitch all too needily in his pants. Fuck, he wanted that too, he really did, but, “Do you even have any supplies?” He lowered his voice a little, though he wasn’t exactly sure why. “You know, like lube or a condom?”

Sighing, Louis pulled away again, before actually just stepping back, away from Nick. Nick was tempted to just pull him back into his arms. “I do, yeah. But they’re in me bag, back at the bunk.”

Great. Well, this wasn’t exactly well thought out then, was it. Nick pressed his hand against his erection, as if consoling it, while also trying to calm it down. Louis eyes followed the action, as he gnawed once more on his lip.

“Fuck it, I’m gonna go get them. Wait here.”

“You’re kidding me,” Nick said in disbelief, shaking his head. But Louis was already adjusting himself in his own shorts, before tugging his Clash t-shirt down uselessly a bit too and unlocking the door and heading back outside.

Nick let his head fall back against the timber wall with a _thud_ , as he gave into a ridiculously fond smile. That boy was mad and Nick all the more so for so readily going along with it all and just being so helplessly endeared.

 

~ * ~

 

Louis walked with hurried determination, eyes trained downward and praying no one stopped him, or looked too closely at his general, er, crotch region. It was like being fourteen all over again. Luckily though, his all too real awareness of his situation and the fact that he was in a very much so public place, definitely helped calm him down quite a bit, his dark grey basketball shorts were pretty baggy too, which was definitely playing in his favour as he awkwardly stalked passed people on the way to his bunk, sure to avoid all eye contact.

Naturally, his cabin would be one of the furthest away, which meant quickly hightailing it past the others still spread out or playing on the lawn. He couldn’t help his eyes from glancing briefly in the direction of where the girls and Storm were still sitting with some of the campers (now also joined by Niall), lazily chatting in the bright sunshine. After Nick’s little revelation, Louis had no idea how he’d ever gotten things so mixed up, as he took in the way Storm was lying with his head in Clara’s lap, while she idly played with his thick locks of blond hair, the pair chatting animatedly with one another, not really taking part in the general conversations around them. Louis felt like an idiot, it was so bloody obvious now.

His cabin within reach, Louis just jogged the last bit, ducking into the door and praying in thanks to whatever gods may be that no one else was in there already. He made a dash for his bunk at the end of the room, rolling his eyes somewhat fondly at the haphazardly made beds he passed to get there. His and Harry’s group was all fairly well behaved, but order and tidiness were not their strong suits. Not that Louis had much room himself to talk about that, he acknowledged with a wry smile as he knelt down and shoved aside the small pile of dirty clothing that had begun to gather beside his bed.

He reached under the bed to retrieve his suitcase, pushing aside a few more socks and a pair of boxers along the way, before quickly rolling the right combination on the built-in lock and flipping it open. He shoved aside some of the stuff he hadn’t bothered to unpack originally, reaching right into one of the back corners to locate the small bag of… supplies and things he’d packed more so for the trip he and the lads have planned for after camp. Unzipping the bag, he then wasted no time in ripping off a condom from the strip and hastily pocketing it, his eyes shooting to the still open, but thankfully also still vacant, door. He then grabbed the small bottle of lube, before quickly zipping the bag back up and stuffing it in the suitcase, which he hastily flipped shut and relocked, before kicking it back under his bed.

Christ, why was his heart beating so quickly? His hands were kind of damp too. It all just had to be a crazy mix of adrenalin and excitement (as well as a bit of nerves – which Louis was definitely not acknowledging, let alone thinking about! So he was going to have sex with Nicholas Grimshaw. Completely sober sex. With Nick. Nick who was also kind of now his boyfriend? Louis had never had a proper boyfriend… But so what, right? Pssht, he was not nervous. Not at all).

He glanced quickly at his reflection in the mirror they had up on the wall, to see that he looked pretty damn dishevelled indeed, his hair a mess and cheeks still somewhat flushed too. Quite frankly, he was surprised no one had stopped him along the way… or maybe he’d just missed whatever funny looks had been sent in his direction.

Louis then headed back outside, again making sure he gave off some serious ‘leave me alone, don’t mind me’ vibes. When he was passing the others on the lawn again, he spotted Harry making his way over in the not too far distance, Greg and Leigh-Anne with him. He added an extra kick of speed to his step, definitely not wanting to get stuck in whatever longwinded conversation Harry could possibly have in store for him. He loved the kid, truly he was one of his all-time best mates, but he seriously did not have time for that, especially while he also happened to be smuggling lube and a condom in his pockets, the bottle definitely providing a new bulge to his shorts now that his own little situation was more or less back under control. His more paranoid side felt like the shape in his pocket was too obvious, that everyone would be able to know straight away what he was up to if they got a proper look at him. He couldn’t possibly stop now.

So, of course, that was when exactly that happened, a rogue ball cutting off his path, his reflexes quickly cutting in as he stopped it with his foot, before two of the boys from his bunk charged over. Louis’ hand did not instantly shoot down to oh so causally cover his bulging pocket…

“Hey, Tommo!” Colin grinned, jogging over with Lucas.

“Wanna join us in a game of ‘footie’?” Lucas asked eagerly, making an attempt at copying Louis’ accent on the word, while nodding his head in the direction of the group of boys and girls they’d been playing with earlier, the kids now also all looking over towards the exchange hopefully. Shit.

“Um, er, I’d love to, lads. Really, it’s just, uh… I’ve got somethings that need, er, sorting.” When their excited little smiles began to droop, Louis quickly rushed to add, “How about after lunch, yeah? I should be free then?”

Their smiles quickly brightened right back up as they nodded eagerly. “Alright! But then you have to be on our team! Both Alice and Jake are on the other team – which is so not fair,” Lucas said, expression turning surprisingly serious.

“Yeah, they’re the best players, they shouldn’t be on the same team,” Colin pouted.

“Look,” Louis said, rolling the ball with his foot so it could catch on the toe of his trainer to give him some leverage as he kicked it up in the air, Lucas quick to catch it. “You two are hardly shabby either, they just have a little more practise under their belt. Don’t give up so easily, yeah? But, most importantly, have fun!” Louis had begun backing away, back in the direction of where the shed (and hopefully still Nick) was, somewhat hidden behind the large mess hall amongst a scattering of other small buildings.

“Yeah, yeah, we will,” Colin huffed, making a big show of rolling his eyes in mock frustration.

“We’ll hold down the fort until after lunch when you join!” Lucas called out, sure to cement the fact that Louis would now have to honour his word, Louis still backing away and nodding, before just turning around and breaking into a jog. He did _not_ want to be stopped again.

He glanced behind himself to be sure no one was following him then, when he finally made it back to the wooden shed, before, satisfied no one was about, he quickly snuck back in.

“ _Oh thank God_ , was beginning to worry you’d just ditched me,” Louis heard Nick say from somewhere behind him as he slid the latch back in place, definitely not wanting anyone to accidentally walk in on them. Nick sounded genuinely relieved.

“I may be a bit of a dick, but I’d never do something like that,” Louis defended himself, turning around to find that Nick had apparently ditched his Madonna t-shirt (as in the singer, he actually owned a bloody Madonna tour t-shirt which he wore wholly unironically… God help Louis. Stan and Calvin were gonna love him when he introduced Nick to them. And, wait, he was totally thinking about introducing Nick to his friends. His family even, possibly… What was his mother going to think? Say? How was he already in so deep, that he was already thinking about taking such big steps for him?).

“No, no. I didn’t mean it like that, I just, er,” Nick shrugged, cutting off Louis’ internal panic before he could get too carried away in his mind. “I don’t know, I may just be a little nervous.” He stage whispered the last part, his cheeks tinting ever so slightly and suddenly Louis wasn’t so worried about what was waiting for him back home, things would work out. Nick was an idiot, but Louis really did like him, so everyone back home would eventually too. He knew they would.

“You’re such a dork,” Louis groaned, going for exasperated, but he feared he probably came off a whole lot more fond rather. “I see you also didn’t wait for me to start shedding clothing.”

The inside of the shed was pretty dim, especially now after having just come back in from outside, the only light that of the sun managing to stream in through the two small, high level windows, but there was more than enough to see Nick (and their packrat surroundings, made up of all sorts of sporting equipment, anything from field hockey sticks to track hurdles) clearly.

His long, slim frame was highlighted all the more in his shirtlessness, all of that smooth, pale skin calling out to Louis in only the most primal of ways, as his eyes travelled down the long column of his throat, taking in his rather impressive amount of chest hair, but also the softness to the tops of his hips. Nick was hardly all big and muscled like Storm was, but, honestly, Louis wouldn’t have him any other way. Despite being a slightly awkward person, Nick still just had this air about him. He carried himself with a sense of confidence that Louis could only aspire to hopefully one day achieve himself, far more worried by other’s opinions than Nick ever was. For one, Louis had only just started coming out to his close friends and eldest sister, while Nick paraded around in a fucking Madonna shirt and happily sang Gloria Estefan songs while dancing with Clara and Rita in the breakfast line.

Louis couldn’t help but admire Nick, not only physically, but for the actual, fun-loving and (admittedly) funny person that he was too. Louis was just really bloody attracted to the bastard, inside and out.

“Well, I’d only be too happy to help you catch up.”

 

~ * ~

 

“Oh, oh, _fuck_ ,” Louis swore, fingers scrambling for better purchase on one of the shelves in front of him.

“That’s a good ‘oh fuck’, right?” Nick asked, pretty sure of the answer, but still wanting to be absolutely sure. He couldn’t quite believe how surprisingly nervous he was about all this, let alone believe the fact that he actually had his fingers in Louis’ arse. His impossibly amazing, tight, hot arse. God, Nick couldn’t help sucking a kiss into his shoulder.

“Y-yeah. Yeah, definitely. Think you should just fuck me now though,” Louis nodded, pushing his bum back into Nick for emphasis.

“You sure you’re ready?” Nick just really had to be sure. He wanted this to be as good for Louis as he just knew it was going to be for him, his hard cock already pulsing in anticipation. His eyes dragged down Louis’ back, taking in his beautifully sun-kissed skin, the sinful dip at the base of his spine that was crowned by two sweet dimples before curving out into literally the best bum Nick had ever seen (it was official now), let alone gotten his hands on.

“Nick, just put the fucking condom on already, will you?”

“Okay, okay. Someone’s turning out to be quite the demanding bottom,” Nick pointed out, but did as he was told, carefully pulling his fingers back out as he then reached out for the condom Louis had left on one of the shelves.

Louis blew up at his sweaty fringe, before flipping it out of the way, his hands now otherwise occupied with teasing himself. “Hardly. I can already imagine the horror you must be.”

“Well you’ll just have to find out for yourself one day, won’t you,” Nick said, distractedly tearing open the condom and rolling it on, his eyes far more interested in the sight of Louis’ thick, pink cock sliding through his fist.

“That a proposition then? Want me to fuck you too then ‘one day’?” Louis grinned, pleasure glazed eyes focused on Nick, even as his fingers moved to pull back his foreskin, his thumb swiping over the newly exposed tip and spreading around the glossy precome gathered there. Nick’s mouth was practically watering. Louis had a gorgeous cock (but of course he did, Nick could roll his eyes, if it wasn’t to his benefit). While not quite as long as Nick’s, it was thicker and undoubtedly impressive, a deep pink flush colouring it as it stood proud, framed by a crop of dark hair that crowned him there, which tapered off into the more familiar sight of that thin tease of hair that lead to his navel. Nick had to bite down on his lip, all too keen to get his mouth on Louis.

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess you could say so,” Nick managed to remember he’d been asked a question, his eyes sweeping back up to meet Louis’ eyes properly again. Louis just grinned widely, blue eyes twinkling, before he let go of himself and stepped up into Nick, dexterous fingers curling into his thick mop of hair and pulling him into a deep kiss, which Nick readily engaged in.

They snogged furiously, hands exploring all over one another’s bodies, as Louis then began to twist around and push back against Nick’s groin, reminding him of exactly what he’d asked for, bringing Nick’s focus right back.

He released Louis’ lips, his mouth trailing along his jaw and down the side of his neck, as he began to grind against Louis, the shorter brunet holding onto the shelves for support again as he stretched his neck open, giving Nick more room, grunting a little when Nick’s cock began to slide between his arse cheeks. Nick’s lips moved to capture his earlobe, teeth tugging it a little teasingly until it had Louis properly letting out a moan.

Smiling to himself, still in a dizzying mix of disbelief and excitement and pure, unadulterated attraction, Nick dropped his hand between them to properly line them up, a small breath escaping Louis then when the blunt head of Nick’s dick caught against his rim. He used his free hand to then hold onto Louis’ hip for support, before just finally pushing forward against the initial resistance and breaching him.

They both moaned as Nick sunk in deeper, pausing when he finally then did bottom out, wanting Louis to adjust.

“ _Fuck,_ ” Louis eventually managed to gasp, shifting slightly, as he panted a bit.

“You alright?” Nick checked, pressed a kiss to the soft skin below Louis’ ear, brushing aside some of his hair in the process. Louis’ hair really had gotten long, the ends curling damply now against the back of his neck. Nick couldn’t resist nuzzling his face in those strands of toffee-coloured hair, taking in the sweet smell of strawberries (clearly Louis had been nicking Harry’s shampoo), sun cream and fresh sweat. Nick was trying to distract himself, desperate to just snap his hips, but not wanting to do so before Louis gave him the go ahead.

“Yeah, yeah. ’m good,” Louis nodded, before pulling away a bit, only to push back and that was all the encouragement Nick needed before finally, and blissfully, starting to pump his hips.

“Hmm, _fuck_ , you feel incredible,” Nick grunted, starting to find a rhythm that worked for the both of them, Louis’ hips moving in perfect tandem. And he really did, Nick could honestly lose himself in it, in the sensation of Louis pressed up against him, pressing all around him, hot and warm in his arms and round his cock, pulling him in, making his body thrum with pleasure and desire.

“Yeah? You don’t feel too bad yourself,” Louis replied, clearly trying to go for casual, but the way his breath kept hitching gave him right away, his foot looking for better purchase on one of the lower shelves, as he pushed back into Nick.

Nick chuckled against Louis’ neck, his eyes travelling down the planes of the smaller body pressed against his, Nick felt like his entire body was enveloping Louis’, one of his arms wrapped around his slight but undoubtedly strong body, Nick’s hand fanned out across his chest. His long fingers nearly spanned right across, overlapping those curling inked letters he had (which Nick was starting to gain a whole new appreciation for), while the strong beating of Louis’ heart thudded beneath his palm. Nick’s eyes took in the way the muscles in Louis’ abdomen contracted with his movements, shifting under his silky skin, which was beginning to gather a shimmer of perspiration.

He was stunning, near perfect in fact, like a wet dream come to life. Nick feared he might lose sight of the fact that Louis was still just the same imperfect, self-conscious boy who had once very much doubted Nick’s interest in him at all, but then his eyes drifted down to the sight of Louis’ boxers and shorts still caught around his one ankle, reminding him of their impatience in getting undressed. Nick pressed his smile into Louis’ back. He was just so gone for this ridiculous boy.

“What?” Louis panted, stilling his hips as he tried to crane his neck to get a good look at Nick. “Are you giggling again, seriously?”

“I’m sorry, I just can’t believe we’re having sex and you still have your socks on – your shorts are still around your ankle!”

“You’re still wearing your socks! You’re hardly in a place of judgement,” Louis pointed out, his blush clear even through his natural flush of exertion.

“Yeah, I know, but I hardly proclaim to be cool, it’s just funny ‘cause it’s you. I honestly never would have expected our first time to be like this.”

“Shut up,” Louis huffed, but was doing a pretty poor job at hiding his own smile. Nick just had to duck down and steal a kiss, or two. Or just an outright proper snog.

As they picked back up the pace, Nick dropped his hand to begin pulling Louis off, his cock, hot and marvellously hard, fitting perfectly in his hand. Louis moaned in approval, caught somewhere between fucking himself back against Nick or fucking into Nick’s fist. Although somewhat cruel, it had Nick making a quick decision, all too aware of his own impending orgasm, the heat in his lower belly really beginning to build urgently. He moved his hand to instead wrap tightly around the base of Louis’ cock, swiftly cutting off the steady rise of desperate pants and moans escaping him.

“Nick–”

“Shh, trust me, I wanna quickly get off first and then suck you off, yeah? ’m dying to get my mouth on you and, besides, it’ll mean less clean up after.”

Louis looked back at Nick, eyelids heavy and eyes glazed, but nodded, “Y-yeah. Yeah, alright. C’mon then though, I’m so close.”

“Good, ‘cause I’m literally seconds away,” Nick grunted, quickly amping up his thrusts some more, chasing his orgasm. They could do it sweet and slow another time, when time was on their side and they had an actual bed, but for now, hard and fast was just fucking brilliant too and, judging by the breathy noises coming from Louis, who eagerly met Nick thrust for thrust, he seemed to agree.

It didn’t take much, if anything, Nick was impressed he’d managed to last as long as he had, given the fact that he was actually and finally fucking Louis; he’d certainly had enough embarrassing dreams about it, but they couldn’t come close to comparing with the actual thing. A couple more sharp, hard pumps and Nick was coming with Louis’ name on his lips, spilling into the condom.

Nick could honestly have stayed like that for ages, pressed up against Louis, their bodies still joined as he attempted to just take in every little thing and just lose himself in the pleasure of it all, but he was a man of his word. As soon as he’d had a second or two to gather his bearings, he gently pulled out, Louis swearing a little anyway, before taking the condom off and quickly knotting it, so that he could then just drop down on his knees.

Louis had turned around, shifting over a bit to lean back against the bit of empty timber clad wall they’d snogged against earlier for support, his eyes heavy but hungry, so obviously focused on Nick’s mouth. Nick had to grin, a fresh wave of energy hitting him as he shuffled the small distance forward and took hold of Louis’ turgid cock. He bit down on his fuller bottom lip, swallowing a gasp, while Nick just gazed up at him from under his long lashes.

Louis was a sight to behold, hair moussed from fingers and sweat, curling humidly around his temples and behind his ears, pupils swallowing his eyes and lips bitten red, his throat and chest were flushed from a combination of desire and exertion. The dusting of auburn curls on his chest were dampened, his chest heaving and pretty cock leaking needily in Nick’s grip. Nick reached his thumb down a bit to brush against one of Louis’ balls, full and already drawn close. He was so close, so clearly on the brink, but eagerly holding out for the warm wet promise of Nick’s mouth and, well, who was Nick to deny him that.

Nick didn’t tease any further, but rather just cut straight to the point, wrapping his lips right around Louis’ hot length and took him right into his mouth, pushing his tongue against him, feeling the rapid beat of his heart when he dragged it over a prominent vein. Louis cursed breathily, his head dropping back against the wall behind him. Nick just smirked to himself, before tipping his head back some and playing his trump card.

“Oh, fuck, _Nick! Fuck!_ ” Louis’ head instantly snapped forward again to look down in awed amazement (honestly, Nick would have taken a picture if he could have), as Nick took Louis further down his throat, until his nose was pressed right up against Louis’ pubes, having taken all of him in. “W-wow, shit. Oh, God. Oh, Nick.” Louis panted desperately before the hot, tight press of Nick’s throat proved to be too much and he came with a strangled gasp, his fingers unconsciously buried in Nick’s hair, trying to ground himself.

Nick swallowed all he could, before managing to ease himself off, Louis slumping back against the wall before sliding to the ground too. He wiped the back of his wrist against his mouth, throat raw and voice no doubt a bit scratchy, but the utterly buggered state of Louis was more than worth it, tenfold even.

“Good?” he croaked and, yeah, shit, his voice was a mess, Nick definitely out of practise.

Louis dazedly blinked back at Nick, before nodding his head. “More than. Fantastic even. Fuck, why didn’t we sort our shit out earlier – can’t believe this is what we’ve been missing out on.”

“Hmm, yeah, was pretty good, wasn’t it? Well, we’ve got some time still, we’ll just have to be proper stealthy like, won’t look too good if we get caught getting off together.”

“Yeah, I can’t imagine it would,” Louis laughed tiredly, shifting to sit up a bit straighter only to then wince a bit. Nick grimaced in turn, but Louis only waved him off. “’m alright. But, yeah, uh, look, I don’t know what you had planned for after camp, but, well, Niall, Harry and Zayn and I – though I don’t doubt Liam and maybe even Rita will now be tagging along too – are planning on hitting Vegas for a bit of a lads’ trip. You fancy maybe coming along too?” And suddenly Louis was back to looking all bashful and unsure about Nick’s response, despite what had just taken place.

“Hmm… Well, I guess I could spare a few days, you know, if I must. You might just have to come with me then on my trip with me to Yellowstone though.”

“Yellowstone? _You_ want to go to Yellowstone?” Louis asked incredulously, right back to the Louis that Nick knew all too well.

“Yes me! What, can I now not like the outdoors?”

“Well, I don’t know… It’s just,” Louis shrugged, struggling for words. “It doesn’t exactly seem like something that you’d be into.”

“Well, Harry’s coming with.”

“Ah, now that makes a little more sense, that he’d rope you into something like that. Vegas with me and Yellowstone with you… trust Harry,” Louis shook his head affectionately, as he shifted to pull his pants and then shorts back up, seeing as they were so conveniently still caught up around his ankle.

“Hey, I do like animals, okay! Greg and Clara are also coming along, so I’d put money on Storm tagging along too, by the way. I hope you can, er, put your past differences aside,” Nick smirked, as Louis just gave him the finger.

Louis looked like he was about to say something snarky in turn to that, when there was suddenly a loud knock at the door. Both of them instantly jolted up straighter, eyes wide.

“Louis, you in there?!”

‘Harry,’ they both mouthed silently at each other, both scrambling to quickly get back into all their clothing.

“Hey, Louis? I’m pretty sure I saw you disappearing off in this direction earlier. Lou? You’re missing lunch!”

“You stay here, hide, I’ll go out and then you follow a little bit after,” Louis tried to whisper as quietly as possible, furiously finger combing his dishevelled hair in the vain hope of getting it to look at least passably unsuspicious, Nick nodding his head, as he yanked on his trainers and Harry just continued to knock loudly on the door.

“I know you’re in there, Louis. C’mon, all the good stuff’s gonna be gone if you take any longer!”

“Alright. Alright, don’t get your knickers in a twist, Harold, I’m coming!” Louis shouted back out at Harry, watching nervously as Nick scrambled to hide behind an old Ping-Pong table.

Only when Nick then gave him a thumbs up from behind the table, did he hear Louis unlock the door.

“Hey, Harry!” Nick held his breath. Although he wasn’t entirely opposed to Harry eventually knowing about the two of them, now was not the time. Christ they’d only just kind of gotten together, they needed to figure things out for themselves first, before they started dragging others into their madness…

“What were you doing?” Harry asked, point blank.

“Oh, er, just, um, checking if I could find a, uh, skipping rope,” Louis offered, his voice sounding a little bit further, like he’d stepped outside now. “Anyway, let’s go to lunch then, yeah? Don’t wanna miss out on ‘all the good stuff’, now do we?”

“And what about Nick, or are we just gonna leave him in the shed?” Nick’s eyes bulged, nearly out of his head at Harry’s entirely deadpan words.

“Wh _at?_ ” Louis’ voice broke a little in surprise. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, c’mon, Louis,” Harry sighed, sounding a strange combination of frustrated but also suspiciously smug. “You both just happen to have disappeared off at the same time, the only two late for lunch?”

“So? Who’s to say he’s not off somewhere else? Maybe he went for a walk, who knows? Either way, he’s definitely not here.”

“Louis, you’re wearing his t-shirt.”

Eyes wide, Nick glanced down and, yes, somehow in their mad rush to get dressed they’d mixed up their tops (if that didn’t speak volumes of them as a whole, Nick didn’t know what did). Nick hadn’t even been aware of the slightly tighter fit, but there it was, Louis’ t-shirt, ‘The Clash’ emblazoned in red across his chest. 

“I–Wha–Oh. _Shit_. Fuck _._ ”

“You can stop hiding already, Grim!” Harry called out before just exploding into (obnoxiously loud) laughter. For someone who’d just found out his two best mates were shagging, he didn’t sound the least bit bothered, rather a lot more amused at their expense. “You two are such idiots, honestly.”

When Nick then emerged, Harry just burst into louder laughter, while Louis offered Nick a wry smile, his arms crossed over his chest, in what Nick suspected was an attempt to hide that he was wearing a Madonna t-shirt. Nick was kind of tempted to leave him wearing it – how dare he, she was an icon! But instead, he decided to just take mercy on the poor boy, already shrugging out of his top so they could swap.

“Christ, it suddenly all makes so much more sense.”

 

.  .  .  .  .  .  .

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated! <3
> 
> Original prompt: Nick and Louis are both camp counselors that have spent their past few summers working at an American summer camp. They had a one-off drunken hookup the summer before, but never spoke about it and have chosen to ignore it going into the next summer. Cue one being jealous of the other because they're getting chatted up by other camp counselors. Nick and Louis eventually break down and admit their feelings. They live happily ever after.
> 
> I wrote this for the Tomlinshaw Fic Exchange 2017 and you can find more fics from the collection [here!](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Tomlinshaw_2017_Fic_Exchange/works)
> 
> Please feel free to come say hi to me on [Tumblr](https://deadsupremacy.tumblr.com/) \- I'm always up for a chat or to make new friends!


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